How Far?
by Undertaker33
Summary: The car pulls away, the curtain falls, the credits roll. The game is over. But life is no game. There is no fade to black, and tomorrow will always come. Come and see just how far you are willing to go to hold onto what you love. Based on Lilly's bad ending. The cover image is done by Rtil, featuring Lilly's lovely mother Karla!
1. Chapter 1: The walk back

**Chapter 1: The Walk Back**

I stand here, watching, as the red glow fades into the abyss. Hanako stands by my side, looking mournful as her closest friend leaves forever. I can't imagine I look much better. "Goodbye… Lilly," Hanako whispers, almost to herself. I reach out and place a hand on her shoulder, and she looks back at me for a moment before turning to stare back down the deserted hillside. I don't know what's going to happen from here on out. We all have our own ambitions, our own dreams to fulfill. I feel my hand slowly slide from Hanako's shoulder, and I step forward towards the guard wall at the top of the hillside, staring after where the woman I love had just gone. As hard as I try, I can't see the lights from the car anymore. She's really, finally, gone. She chose her family, and I can't blame her for it, but no matter how I try to justify or explain it, it doesn't change the new Lilly-shaped hole in our lives.

I can't bear to gaze down the hillside any longer, but I find myself unable to look away. It's almost as if I stand there and stare long enough, I'll see a car come racing back up the hillside and Lilly will come back. I know it isn't true, every logical part of my mind tells me that such a thing isn't possible, and yet here I am. Still staring. Still hoping.

My mind flashes to the day that Lilly confessed to me in the wheat field. "Don't go away," she begged me. "Never, ever go away. I love you!" I can feel tears forming in my eyes, but I ignore it. How could she ask something of me if this is what she had planned? This is what she wanted after all, to be with her family again after all this time. I tried making it easier for her, how could I not? I couldn't even imagine what it would have been like to be left alone with a sibling for six years. I've tried to see what she had to have been going through, and I saw how she would always shoulder everyone's burdens. I wouldn't let her take this one too, I wouldn't be the pathetic weak boyfriend who begged and pleaded selfishly. I wanted her to choose and she chose them, plain and simple. So why can't I look away?

A tear slides down my face, but I make no effort to wipe it away. Why should I? Lilly is gone. I don't have to be strong for her anymore. I don't have to pretend I'm not hurting. I can be hurt. I can cry, right? If just for right now, I can let myself be weak, right?

…No. No. I can't be weak. I have to be strong for Hanako as well as for myself. I wipe my face before looking back towards where Hanako is standing, but I find only air. She must have walked away whilst I wallowed in self-pity. _Great_ , I think to myself. I look upwards and see the moon has barely risen, the night is still young. Perhaps it is better that she isn't here right now. I can't even convince myself to be hopeful about our futures, Hanako would see right through me. I walk back to the guard rail and step over, deciding on sitting at the overlook, staring at the spot that I can't bring myself to look away from. The last spot that I had seen their car as they drove away. The last spot that I would ever see Lilly Satou.

Calm. That's what I need to be. Calm. Not sad, not angry, not upset. Calm. I feel my chest rising and falling with every breath, my broken heart slowly beating along. The muscles in my chest tense and release with every beat. I focus on it, forcing an even breath when my body feels like it is growing numb. **Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub.**

 _I used to hate this sound_

 **Lub-dub**

 _It's what started me on this path_

 **Lub-dub**

 _What lead me to Yamaku_

 **Lub-dub**

 _What led me to Lilly_

 **Lub-dub**

 _What lead me to fall in love again_

 **Lub-dub**

 _What lead me to lose that love, again_

 **Lub-dub**

 _I can hear its beat in the surrounding silence_

 **Lub-dub.**

 _This broken heart of mine_

A breeze upon my face forces me to open my eyes. I had been laying on top of the guard wall for God knows how long. A look up into the bright summer's night sky shows the moon floating high overhead. Hours must have gone by since I first sat here. I looked back towards the spot that had held my focus for so long, and suddenly, I feel almost sick. I can't keep looking, and I tear my gaze from the spot. I look back towards the gate, and I feel myself exhale as I realize that, even though Lilly has left, life still goes on. There's probably only a few hours until daylight. Looks like I'll be getting very little sleep tonight.

Begrudgingly, I lift my legs from the wall and begin walking back towards the gate. I stumble a little as my legs protest being woken, but I keep moving towards the gate. It opens with a whine, practically the only noise in the still night, but otherwise offers no protest. I look on the main building, my thoughts turning back to the coming break. Classes ended today, and the break has officially begun. I can probably just go back to my room and sleep now since I doubt there will be anything else that I will have to do, or even could do if I wanted to. The thought makes me think again about what Lilly and I might have done to celebrate the final day of classes, but I force myself off of the train of thought. There's no point in thinking about it anymore.

Within a few minutes slow walk, I see the dormitories. The male dormitories just to the right of the wall that Rin had done for the festival. I stop in front of the wall, remembering how I had helped her paint it. I wonder what they are going to with it now that the year is ending. Maybe they'll paint over it, opening it up for a new person to paint for a different occasion.

Suddenly, there's a bright light shining in my face from the top of the short wall. "HEY!" a gruff voice shouts as I reflexively cover my face from the light. Oh, god dammit, this is the last thing I need. A thought runs through my head that I could just bolt for it, but I squash it immediately. I'm not exactly in the best condition, and laying on a cold wall for a few hours didn't help accentuate that. The light moves towards the stairs, and I can see it quickly coming closer.

"Oh, you're a student," the voice says in a much less alarmed tone. "You know, you're way past curfew out here."

"Sorry," I reply, still shielding my face. "I just couldn't sleep, and I went for a short walk to clear my head," I lie. It'd be easier just to lie than try to explain my situation.

He must realize that he still is shining the bright light in my face, because it quickly shines lower. "Oh, sorry." He clicks the light off, and I stare at him through bright spots in my eyes. They fade fast, and I can finally make out his appearance. He's obviously foreign, a tall man with white skin and his eyes rounded. He has short brown hair that looks like it was buzzed recently. It appears as if he is sizing me up as well, and I can tell he is a little skeptical about my story. Briefly, I wonder if I could get in trouble for being out after hours, but the hard look he's giving me falters, and he sighs.

"It's alright, I've done just that quite a few times when I can't get any sleep." He looks from me to the wall that I had been staring at, and gives it an almost comically quizzical look. "At least going for a walk, I can understand. But I think looking at this to clear your head might have the opposite effect." I let out a slight laugh at that, I can very easily see how Rin's abstract form of art can have that effect on someone. He seems happy that his joke found its mark, giving me an earnest grin. "So, what's your name?" he asks.

"Hisao Nakai," I respond. I don't really know why, but I extend my arm in greeting. He takes it, apparently appreciating the effort.

"I'm Mr. Price, but you can call me Kane." His grip is a little too firm, but he releases after briefly shaking it, and turns back to the art. "Truth be told, I could use a little bit of head clearing myself. I'm having a little trouble wrapping my head around this place."

"What do you mean?" I respond.

He looks me over once again, probably wondering if he should even be speaking with me instead of giving me detention, but once again he seems to let his guard down. "Well, I'm sure you can tell, I'm new around here. I'm from the United States." I've never met anyone from the U.S., but he doesn't really fit the stereotypes I had been told. I look over at him, and I can see slight subtleties. The way he carries himself, the loud demeanor, and the seemingly trusting nature might place him there. He notices me looking at him and smiles. "Military," he says, predicting what I was thinking. "I was stationed in Tokyo until a few years ago. It's where I learned Japanese, and I just fell in love with the country."

If he's been a few years, he must be used to being around Japanese people by now. So what could he… oh. "You mean Yamaku," I say, more a statement than a question. He looks puzzled for a moment, but nods the affirmative a moment later.

"Yeah," he says. "I'm not really used to being in a place where everyone is so…"

"Fragile?" I finish the thought for him. My mind immediately flips to my heart, _how many times in the past year has it plagued me? How many times has it beat so fast that it would almost burst from my chest?_

"Yeah…" he trails off. He blows air from his lungs into the night sky. He looks back to me. "I know I'm new here, but I am technically a faculty member. If you ever need to talk, every one of us is open to you." Only now do I realize the angry look I had on my face. "Sorry" I reply. "Thinking about my condition… bothers me. Sometimes." He nods his head as if he understands. How could he though? He is perfectly fine.

"Well," he starts "you should really get along to sleep. It's already 3AM."

"Alright," I mutter. "Thank you for understanding."

"Anytime," he replies, but his face quickly catches what he said. "Wait, not anytime, anytime. Don't take that as a free pass to wander the grounds after hours." He stumbles over his words, evident that it is a second language to him.

"Don't worry, I understood." I turn and walk towards the stairs.

"Have a good night, Nakai." He calls after me. I consider just walking away, but my better nature gets to me.

I turn back. "Call me Hisao." I put on what I think is a kind smile, and then turn and march up the stairs.

I enter the male dormitory and head for the stairwell, and trudge up the flight to my floor. I walk down the dimmed hallway to my room and fish around my pocket for my keys. I take my keys out and feel around for the right one, but I can't see or tell the difference in the dark between my house and my room key. I insert one of the keys and try turning it, only to discover it is the wrong one. Cursing a little too loudly for the empty silence, I insert the other key and turn the lock, opening the door to my room.

"Why do I even have that key?" I ask the empty room. This place is my home now… but that's not true anymore, is it? When I was with Lilly, I thought I would stay here with her for the summer until we decided where we would go with our future, but now that plan is gone. I have no idea what I will do for the summer now. Lilly is gone, and Hanako is leaving to tour Japan. It'll be just me.

I groan, resigning myself to think about it tomorrow. I'm tired, and I can feel my body aching for rest after laying on a stiff stone wall for hours. I unceremoniously flop into bed. I just need as much sleep as I can get before waking tomorrow, so I need to just clear my mind. I will not think about Lilly, I tell myself. I close my eyes and try to find an even space for my breathing. Once again, I can hear my slowed heartbeat in the silence.

 **Lub-dub**

 _I will not think about Lilly._

 **Lub-dub**

 _I will not think about Lilly._


	2. Chapter 2: Mourning run

**Chapter 2: Mourning run**

I thought about Lilly.

I lay wide awake staring at the bare ceiling. I twist my neck and look at my alarm clock, which glows faintly in the dark. It takes me a moment to focus my eyes on the red numbers. 4:48. I've been laying here for almost two hours, and the only thing that I could think of was Lilly. No matter how many times I would try to distract myself from the thought, I simply couldn't. No matter how many sheep I counted, I couldn't fall asleep. My mind focused on her, and no matter how hard I tried to twist and turn it away, it would always come back to her. I rolled over to my side and looked at the vacant spot in my bed where she had lay not two weeks ago, her pale skin and golden blond hair glowing in the moonlight. I thought to myselfhow fragile she had looked back then, as if she was made of porcelain and would crack at the slightest touch. The slow beating of my heart now reminds me that she was not the fragile one.

Which made things that much worse.

I roll onto my back and stare up at the ceiling. I push the covers off of me so that they go only up to my waist, and begin tracing the scar that is on my chest. Its months old, and yet the memories of the pain it had given me are all too fresh.

I think back to how this all started last winter in that field at my old school. I can feel the cold chill on my skin from the light snowfall. I remember an even sharper chill after Iwanako had confessed to me, something I had been hoping for ever since before I had even received her note. I had thought that it was just nerves, but I remember the sharp pain as I tried to speak. I remember the feeling of warmth being sapped from my body as I stumbled forward into the snow. I remember her panicked screams as I felt my body shut down, and then I only remember darkness.

I've heard people say that things get easier after the first time. Working out gets easier, studying gets easier, but this? Every attack, every flutter, hell sometimes just listening to the beat hurts the same as the first time. Not because of the pain that flows through my body, although that certainly doesn't help. It's the aftermath. The looks of endless worry that people give me, and there is nothing that I can do to stop them. I remember how Lilly had looked after my attack in Hokkaido, it was a look of almost complete terror. I had scared her, all because I was a dumbass that wasn't taking care of myself. I had promised that I would look after myself, that I would go on walks in order to make sure my heart beat fine, and what did I do? I got complacent, I thought walking with Lilly down to the convenience store and back was enough. Even that became strenuous for me.

I flip the covers off the rest of the way off, and swing my legs from the bed. I rise out of bed and begin pacing as I can feel myself becoming frustrated, but instead of calming down I only get madder _. And why shouldn't I be mad at myself? Here I am lying awake at nearly 5 in the morning on a school night and for what? Because she left me. Because I'm broken. Because there is nothing I can do to fix it, so I mope_ …

That last thought stops me. It isn't entirely true. I may not be able to change her plans, but there is one thing that I can change.

I quickly walk over to my closet and slide it open to reveal all of my uniforms, but I slide them out of the way as I search in the back for something I had thrown in their haphazardly what feels like ages ago. I pull out my old soccer clothes that I had tossed in their in frustration before going to shower, and I can see just how bad they look. The shirt has several folds in it from lying in a pile for weeks on end, and it smells almost stale. _Nothing I can do about it now_ , I decide, and before I lose steam I slide it over my head. I grab the matching shorts and pull them up over my boxers, and then I pull each sock on. A quick look at the clock tells me it's just past 5am.

I then go to the door and put on the shoes I had kicked off last night, and I am about to head out the door when I remember I'll need my key to get back in. I am about to walk over to my nightstand when I remember I had put them back into my pants pocket. I walk over to my bedside and fish the key ring out, but instead of immediately leaving, I find myself looking at them. With a grunt of frustration, I pull my old house key off of the ring, and I place it on my desk.

 _I may have lost a lot of things recently, but home is where the heart is, right? I intend to make sure that heart stays for a long long time._

I step outside and I breathe in the fresh morning air. It has a certain chill to it that is common right after dawn on these nice summer days. It was always one of my favorite parts of the day, in fact I'd say that it is one of the reasons I am such a morning person. It's something I always appreciated. I stretch out my back in the morning sun, basking in it as its rays wrap around my body. I can feel the muscles in my back pull each other to their farthest extent, before I settle back into my usual posture and begin walking towards the track, feeling significantly better now than I had in my room.

As I near the track, a memory floats to the top of my head. Just a few weeks ago I had come here after promising the head nurse that I would try and work out to take better care of myself, and I met with a "spy" he had watching out for me. She was supposed to tell him when I finally made my way down to the track, and after not hearing anything about it for close to a week, he sought me out himself and made me promise I would come and meet with her. I laugh as I remember watching almost in awe, as I walked down the hill that day, of the girl who was moving through the air fluidly as if without a care, without any legs. I remember the rhythmic clacking of her prosthetics ringing in my mind. I had pictured her as a half-mechanical gazelle with the way that she moved, her face set with a smirk on it. I watched as her brown hair in two little twintails bounced in step, and was beginning to feel daunted by the entire thing and was considering leaving, but she noticed me and ran over to greet me. That was one of my first real experiences with Emi, besides getting run over by the little bolt of lightning in the hall the day before.

The memory of that puts a wide smile on my face, until a thought rung through my head. _She had hit me pretty hard in the hallway when she ran into me, so hard that I tumbled over with her. Yet, I didn't have an attack?_ I contemplated this as I walked past the bleachers onto the track. I smile, remembering how adorable her expression was after, which wasn't helped by her shortness. What was it I had called it in my head? _Puppy like? Yea, that's a fitting name for her apologetic pout. Maybe it was that look that kept my heart from rising, it was extremely cute._

I shrug off the event, trying to put it out of my mind. I'm doing this right here now so that I won't ever suffer another attack again. _This is to make sure nobody has to worry about me. All the cute looks in the world wouldn't save me if I let things get much worse_. I take a position on the track and think back to what Emi had said before we began our first run about stretching. _I hate stretching, and didn't I technically stretch already when I walked out the door? And the way over here probably stretched my legs just by walking._

 _I'm sure that will be good enough_ , I think to myself, and I lower myself towards the ground like I've seen people who run track do.

 _Ok, this is it._

 _3…2…1… GO!_

I rise out of the form fast and-

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" A shrill voice screams from right behind me

I stumble forward in surprise, still half risen from my pose, and I stick out my arms in an attempt to balance myself. It does no good and I go crashing to the ground face first, like a new born bird trying to fly.

"Owwwww" I moan out, and push myself up from the ground. I flip over onto my back to see who had snuck up on me, and I'm suddenly covered in shadow. I look up and look into the green eyes a very angry Emi.

"I **said** , what the hell do you think you're doing?" She says as she looks down on me, both figuratively and literally. I look back at her with what I'm sure is a startled expression, but it quickly hardens. I'm in no mood for this. "Well I was trying to run before you fired a cannon off in my ears," I remark sarcastically with annoyance. She must have snuck up on me to try and scare me or something. I place my arm behind me to push myself up, but Emi's running blade finds my stomach and easily pushes me back down. The malicious look on her face says everything.

"Didn't I tell you when you first started running that you needed to warm up!? Bad Hisao," and she flicks me on the nose as if I am some sort of dog. She then takes her blade off of my stomach and puts a hand out to offer to help me up. I refuse to take it, instead standing up on my own before shooting a glare at her which she returns in force, darting out her tongue to complete the look.

We stand there for a moment simply glaring at one another from inches apart, before she begins giggling. It's a cute laugh, it reminds me of when I was younger and laughed at almost everything. Her laughter proves to be infectious, as I find myself laughing slightly at the absurdity of the situation, and she smiles. "Why are you here anyways?" She asks, looking at me curiously. "I saw you leaving the male dorms in your gym clothes, and I put my spy skills to work and followed you here." She bounces back and forth in what I'm assuming is supposed to be sneaky, but the noise they make befuddles me. How had I not heard her a mile away? "You know, my eyes are up here" she quips, which makes me blush.

"Oh, sorry," I reply. _Is that all you have to say? Think of something!_ "Wait, so you're saying you stalked me all the way here?"

"Noooo, I said followed. Stalking you means I would have been planning to hurt you." She replies

"But you did hurt me!" and I show off my scraped knee in emphasize the point

"Well yea, but I wasn't planning on it" she says, and with that she winks. "And hey! You never answered my question!" She pouts, something I try to look away from lest it steal my manhood.

"What question?" I ask

"I asked you why you were hereeee" she elongates the last word as if trying to convey a worded pout. I turn back to her, which makes her smile at me, but still with curiosity in her sparkling green eyes

As much as I would like to not talk about this, it seems as if that really isn't an option at this point. I sigh and let my head droop slightly, not entirely wanting to admit to it. "I need to be healthier." I remark. "I'm tired of feeling as if I'm a moment away from falling apart."

When Emi doesn't respond right away, I look up almost terrified that she would have a look of pity on her face. There isn't. The look that she DOES have on her face is one that gives me pause. Is that… determination? Her small frame is set as if she were a rock, her mouth is set with a slight smirk, and her eyes spark with an almost electric feel. She turns and saunters a few paces away. In a voice that I have to strain myself to hear, she says "Morning stretches Hisao. Now." While quiet, her voice is filled with an almost concreate conviction that says I'll end up back on the ground if I don't do as she says, so I follow her lead. As she starts stretching herself, I do some minor stretches that I used to do before playing soccer with my friends, but as she glances at me she gives an enthusiastic sigh and walks over. She tells me to watch her and do as she does, her voice calm and even. _I must be pretty awful at this. I mean how bad do I_ -

A light bump on my shoulder snaps me back into attention. "Hisao, you gotta pay attention to this. If you don't wanna fall apart mid-run, you gotta stretch well. Here, like this" She bends down towards her left blade without bending at her knees. Her outstretched fingers can reach practically to the ground. I stare at her and find that my eyes are slowly wandering down her body. Her soft skin almost shines in the morning sun. "You gotta hold this pose for a couple seconds… Then slowly let go" she says while breathing out. "Then you gotta do the other one." As she reaches over my eyes trace out her body once more. Her long arms… her well-toned thighs… before I can lead myself further down a path that would make it exceedingly hard to run, I snap my eyes towards my own leg and, perhaps a little too overenthusiastically say, "Like this?" I reach down and I strain to even get past my calf. I feel myself pushing further, but I can't seem to do it without bending. Then I feel a hand on my back.

"No, you have your leg locked out. Try it like this." She bends over in front of me and slightly taps the back of my knee forward. Not enough for it to bend, but it takes some strain off of the back of it. Her hand lightly touches mine, and I feel them guide to my toes. "Do you feel the slight burn in all your muscles? What you'd been doing put all of the pressure on your knees, and that's not good for them." She looks up from the ground and we lock eyes just a few inches apart. She looks at me and I see a blush slowly spread across her face just as I feel my own face heating up, and I abruptly stand up, forgetting about her hand still gripping mine. Apparently she had as well, as I pulled her right into me and we fell backwards onto the ground with a yelp.

My head hits the track ground hard, and for a moment everything goes blurry. I close my eyes and groan.

"Are you ok?" She asks?

"My head…" I reply. I open my eyes and see that her fall was cushioned much more than mine, which explains the sudden weight on my body. She pushes herself up on her hands, and her head hovers just a foot away from my own.

"You know, I seem to be making a habit of holding you down, you'd make a good hostage" she says with a wink. I feel my blush return, and she giggles at how I seem to squirm. I put my hand behind my head and rub where I hit it. "Just try not to use ropes or anything," I reply.

Now it's her turn to blush, and she lightly giggles. She then pushes off from my chest, and extends her hand. "Come on," she says. "I think that's more than enough stretching." I take her hand and she smiles widely as she helps me up.

Her demeanor seems to change from playful to more serious again. "When's the last time you went running?"

"Ummm when I went with you."

"THAT LONG!" Her mouth is open in shock. I nod.

She doesn't say anything, but her face has that determined look again as her mouth puckers for a moment as if she's considering something.

"Alright, well since it's been so long" I could swear she was shooting daggers with her eyes "we'll take it easy on you today, ok? Just a few laps"

"Ok, I can do that." I say

"You're damn right you can! Now let's go!"

She spins around as deftly as a ballerina, if a ballerina had no legs, and just like that she's off. Caught off guard by her sudden start, I break out into a sprint to catch up with her. I soon have to slow down, as she's quickly lowered her pace to try and even out with my own. Over her shoulder she shouts, "It's not a race, it's about lasting! Just keep it at an even level!" I try to say something but already I can feel my breath coming raggedly, so I nod and hope she understood it over the bouncy run. We're almost halfway through the first lap when I stumble, but I quickly right myself and keep going. I remember running a lot when I would play soccer, before that accident. I never felt tired then cause I always had something to focus on, so maybe if I focus on something… the click clack of her running blades is the first thing that catches my attention. She's running slightly ahead of me, but I can feel her making the effort to slow herself down for me. I stare at her blades, and I slowly feel my eyes drifting up her legs until they come to a rest at the back of her shorts.

I force myself to stop looking, to stop even thinking about it, and I lock my eyes and head forward. Just think of the run, don't think of her legs, don't think of her laugh, don't think of…

We pass by the bleachers on our first lap, and I decide to focus on my breathing. Right now, I can feel my chest burning and begging for air, and no matter how much I gasp down it doesn't seem to be enough.

"Almost there. Almost there." I keep exhaling the words between each breath, and I can feel sweat gathering on my forehead. I see Emi look over her shoulder at me for a moment worried, but I don't pay it any attention. I just need to go a little farther.

We're halfway through the second lap when I start to realize how stupid this is _. I don't need to go running all the time, I don't need to put up with this crap. I can take care of my own damn self! I may have said it before, but I'll do better this time!_

I start to slow down, but then Emi turns over her shoulder. "DON'T YOU DARE QUIT ON ME AGAIN GOD DAMNIT!"

She whips around and starts sprinting towards the finish line. I can only think that I need to catch up to her, and I start pumping my arms. Each step I take I can feel my legs burning and begging to collapse, but I need to do this! _Come on, final turn! Emi is racing ahead of me, but I've almost caught her._

She's 20 feet away

 _Faster!_

15

 _Move faster!_

10

 _GO!_

And then she stops

I only have enough time for the thought _Oh shit_ to hit me before I run almost full steam into her, and both of us go tumbling onto the track.

I don't even feel the pain from hitting the track, just the burning of my aching muscles. "Holy shit" I breathe out as I am gasping for air. I close my eyes and I try to move, but my body disagrees with me as pain flows throughout my body. _The last time I felt pain like this… oh no._

Immediately I put my hand to my chest and begin to focus on my heartbeat, and I can feel it beating extremely hard. I am still gasping for air that never seems like enough, but I can at least feel it beating. It's not beating out of rhythm though, more like a hard and steady beat. A strong beat. An unbroken beat.

I take my hand from my chest, and I begin to feel as if I can breathe slower. Then I feel a light touch on my chest where my hand had been. It's a soft weight, as if unsure whether or not to stay, but it remains. _Emi must have wanted to make sure I wasn't having an attack, and placed her hand there_. I raise my own hand to pull it off of me, but as I place my hand against it, I don't feel a hand. _Are these beads and… hair?_

I open my eyes and I see that my hand is resting on the top of one of Emi's twintails. The other is pressed to my chest as she lays her head on it. She looks at me with a huge smile, and only then do I realize that she's listening to my heart beat.

"So this is what it sounds like?" she says. "Is it always so fast?"

The question shakes me, and once again the situation seems absurd to me, as if I am still sleeping and dreaming all of this. I laugh slightly at her child-like curiosity, it's quite endearing. "No, actually it's normally really slow. This is probably because of all the running."

"Oh" she says simply. She continues laying on my chest, and I let my head thunk back to the track _. If anyone were to come by the track and see us right now it would be scandalous_ , I think. However I find myself uncaring right now. "Why did you run away?"

"Huh?" She responds. She seemed to have lost herself listening to the beat.

"Why did you run from me?"

"Oh!" She lifts her head off of me, and then suddenly swings her leg over my body so that she on either side of me. She scooches her body upwards so that her face is right over mine and blocks the sun, and I see that look again. "Cause you were gonna give up again!" She pouts, a pout that could melt ice.

"Was not!" I reply unconvincingly, but her puppy dog eyes remain, breaking through. "Well… I might have thought about it…"

"You said that you wanted to get better, do you feel this?" she places the palm of her right hand against my chest where my heart is still beating strongly. "This is better!"

I am about to object but she cuts me off by placing a finger on my mouth "No, stop it. I'm not done. I hate it when people give up, I hate it **hate it** **hate it**! The look you had before you ran was determined, you want to get better? Then I won't let you give up on yourself like you did again." She takes her finger off of my mouth, and sits back on the lower part of my chest.

And I thought it would be scandalous if someone caught us before.

"You're right" the words coming out of my mouth surprise even myself, but she responds quickly. "Of course I'm right" she says with a wink, "I'm always right about these things." I laugh and give her a pointed look, and she responds by sticking her tongue out at me. I return by blowing my tongue out at her, and she does it again in response, coming closer

"Mynah!"

"Nyah!"

"MYNAH!

"NYAH!"

And then she's hovering over my face again and I'm wrapped up in instinct. She leans in but my hands fly to her sides and grip her. She looks at me in shock, but it quickly turns to laughter as my fingers begin dancing on top of her, tickling her.

"Hahahaha Stop! Hisao!" she falls off of me, and suddenly I'm on top of her, pinning her to the ground with a smirk

"So this is what it's like to be on top" I say, and when she blushes I throw in a wink.

"Ohh get offa me you big goof"

I comply and she slugs me in the arm

"Ow!"

"That's for tackling me in the first place!" she says, but she doesn't seem that annoyed by it.

"Haha that's fair," I laugh. I stand up, and this time I lend her my hand. She takes it, and I watch her legs as she bounces up as perky as ever. "Why did you come down here today?" I ask, finding myself curious.

"Oh I run every morning! Just cause we're on break, doesn't mean you get to take any time off of working out," she says with an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Besides," she adds, "I'm supposed to go into the city with the whole team soon, we're going to be having a meet with a bunch of different schools." Her smile is electric. "It might not be an official meet, but I still intend to win! I'll show them you don't need any legs to be the fastest there ever was!" She says, pointing her thumb into her chest.

I smile at her, something I find myself doing a lot around her. "Well, what time are you meeting up with them?" I ask.

"Oh, we're all meeting up at the gate to catch the bus at 6. I figured I could squeeze in a quick run and a shower first haha."

6am? That's just an hour from when I first came out, right? How much time has passed? I quickly notice that Emi doesn't have a watch or anything, and judging by how much the sun has risen since I came out here… I look down at my watch and I feel my face contort at what it says.

"Oh noooo" I hear her whine. I look up and see that she has seen my face after looking at my watch. "What time is it!?" she half-shouts panicked at my expression

"Ummm… It's 5:56…" I trail off, seeing her face go pale white for a moment and she stands completely still as if she were a statue.

Suddenly, she begins bouncing up and down on her blades as if she had just been supercharged. "Oooooh nononononononononono I gotta go shower gotta run bye Hisao!" She takes off like a gunshot and I'm left almost blown away at how fast she can go from standing to a full sprint up the hill. I reconfirm the time, and then I slightly laugh to myself at just how Emi manages to make being late cute.

I slowly make my way up the hill, listening to the sound of birds chirping as I arrive. I look towards the girls dorms, but there is no sign of the little lightning bolt. Maybe she's already shot off. I chuckle once more to myself as I walk inside. Today certainly has had an interesting start, I think to myself as I get to my room and insert the key. I quickly strip down my now sweaty clothes and grab a towel to head to the showers, left wondering what the rest of today will have in store.


	3. Chapter 3: Burning books

**Chapter 3: Burning books**

I need to sleep more, I decide, as I rub my head from where it had hit the table. I had been reading a new book when I must have fallen asleep, and eventually fallen over and hit my head on the desk. There are a few students in here, including a girl with shoulder-length brown hair who looks at me, giggling. I smile slightly at her, and stand up, leaving the small pile of books laying on the table. _They'll still be here when I got back_.

I decide to go and look and see if Hanako is in her corner. After this morning's fun, I had decided to check in on the library. It would be remaining open over the summer for students who intended to stay on campus, and I figured that it was as good a place as any to spend a day where you had nothing to do.

When I had first arrived, after gathering a small stack of books, I had checked to see if Hanako was here. Sadly, she wasn't, so I was left to myself. It had been some time since then though, and when I get to the back of the library she is indeed there. However, she already has some company. Sitting next to her on the beanbag is a girl from our class, one whose name escapes me. Her brown hair and different colored eyes are focused on a laptop, and Hanako seems to be reading something off to her. She gives off an Aura of professionalism as she types away, and I decide that it's best not to disturb them.

As I walk away, I remember that girl was in the newspaper club with Hanako, one of the girls that she would be leaving with soon on their trip to tour Japan. I smile a bit at how much she has grown, and that even without Lilly to fall back on, she has really come into her own. She'll be fine.

 _Me? I'm not so sure about._

My empty summer plans come to my mind once again

The thought of asking Hanako if I could tag along with her briefly crosses my mind, however I dismiss it almost as soon as it appears. She's doing so well now, I would hate to get in the way of her and her new friends.

I stop by the place where I had fallen asleep briefly and scoop up the remaining books I had left there when I notice one of the books is missing. In fact, it was the one that I had been reading. I begin looking around the table when I hear somebody clear their throat from behind me.

"Ahem. "'Stuff your eyes with wonder, he said.'" I turn towards the feminine voice and see she is intently staring at the book as she recites the lines. "'Live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.'"

She looks up at me with her brown eyes and smiles. I notice that she leans on a cane with her left hand as she snaps the book shut with her right. The gold lettered title, _**Fahrenheit 451**_ , shining brightly in the sunlight. "You know," she says, ambling forward. "I had planned on coming over here to make a joke, maybe make fun of you for studying during summer vacation, and falling asleep at that." She extends the book towards me with a pointed gaze. "When I saw that you had been reading a novel though, I just assumed you were a bookworm or a nerd, and I decided to take a look for myself at what you were reading. After all, I figured it must be pretty boring to put you to sleep like that."

I feel a slight blush form on my face as she remarks offhandedly at my tiredness _. Just how long had she been watching me?_ "Imagine my surprise though, that I would simply open up the book, and with but a glance find something I'm seriously thinking about making my new life motto."

I take the book from her outstretched hand, and she bends a bit forward, inclining her head in a formal bow. "My name is Saki Enomoto."

I return her bow, a bit more guarded however. "I am Hisao Nakai _." I still don't really know who this girl is, and she came up and took my book in an attempt to… what?_

"Hisao? I've heard of you before," she says. Her right hand goes to her chin as she looks up, trying to remember where she may have heard my name. Her fingers snap in remembrance and her face lights up, "Oh yea, Tezuka! Do you know a girl named Rin?" Her informality strikes me, however I nod my head.

"Yes, I know her. How do you know her?"

"We're in the art club together. Obviously I can't paint like her," she says gesturing to her cane, "however I do think I am pretty damn good at it." Her frankness is a bit off putting, but there's something about her that hold my attention.

"Why did she mention me?" I say, wondering as to what sort of reason Rin would bring me up in a conversation with a stranger.

"Oh it was a little while ago, right before the festival. We were told to have our next painting be on a model, and she sits next to me. I heard her mutter something, and I asked what she said, and she said your name. Maybe she wanted to paint you?"

"That's strange, she never asked me anything like that…" I say, trailing off. _Then again, it would be rather Rinnish of her for me to never hear of it unless I had brought it up to her, which I couldn't do without knowing about it… right?_

Saki seems to know what my thought pattern is as she nods her head, "Yea, I'm guessing she never asked you? I dealt with that minefield enough after classes that I can see it on your face. She's a good girl though, once you get used to her." She smiles a bit at that. I feel my guard lower slightly, just slightly though.

"I kind of feel like I'm walking a minefield right now myself." I say, only half-jokingly. _She really had caught me off guard with her sudden introduction and her frank attitude._ She seems to think it funny though, as she laughs in a way that makes me think of Akira.

"I can imagine, I did introduce myself in quite a brash manner. I thought it was good though. If nothing else, memorable." she says with a wink. "But what can I say, I like living in the spur of the moment. Almost as much as I like living." she says, again with an Akira like laugh. "How about this then, since you're still here, and judging by all the books you're checking out, I'll assume you'll be on campus for break?"

"Uhhh, I guess so…" I say trailing off. I guess I've already accepted that this is where I'll be _. I hadn't even considered that when I had picked the books out, but I guess a part of me already knew. This is home now, after all._

"Well," she replies in a chipper manner, "I'll be here as well. If you are available, come and meet me in the art room for lunch tomorrow, around 4. And bring your book. I'll want to take a closer look at it." She smiles, and gestures to the book she had read from.

"Actually, you can have it now." I say, handing the novel to her. "I hadn't checked it out yet, and you're obviously more interested in it than I was, heh." I rub the back of my head, and I feel the bump from hitting my head against the track earlier.

She takes the book with a pout "Aww, Hisao, don't you know anything? You're supposed to bait the cute girl with something she wants before snatching her up, not just throw it all over the side." I can't help but laugh at her pouting face, and she joins in after a moment, and I silently thank Emi for having the cutest pout I've ever seen… _Well, besides…_

I snap my mind away from that train of thought as soon as it tries settling on it, I will not let myself keep falling into the same pitfalls. I smile at Saki, who seems to have noticed me standing quietly for a moment, but thankfully doesn't ask. "Well I've never been a very good fisherman." I reply in jest

"Clearly," she laughs. "So should I expect to see you for lunch tomorrow?"

The quote that she had read strikes me at that moment. _'Live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds.'_

"You know what, yea. I'll be there." I say decidedly.

And loudly.

A little too loudly.

I feel a tap on my shoulder and I turn to see Yuuko, the schools clumsy, goofy, red-haired librarian, looking at me very sternly, like a grandmother would look at a toddler that broke his toys. "Shhhh." She says, motioning to our surroundings. "You do know this is a library right? You aren't the only people here!" She says in a loud whisper.

"Oh, sorry…" I mutter out dejectedly. _I've never even thought Yuuko capable of scorn, and the way she was looking like she is about to throw me bodily through the double doors_. Her face glows as red as her hair with exasperation.

Her expression fades and she begins looking like her normal self "Ok, good. I have a lot of work to do with all the students returning books before they leave. Are you gonna be checking those out?"

I look back to the stack under my arm "Oh, uh, yea. If that's not a problem."

"Ok, I can do that for you, follow me." She turns and starts walking towards the front desk and I begin following her when I hear Saki whisper from behind me.

"Oooohhhh Hisao got in troooouuuubblllleeee." She says with a huge smirk and I look back at her and roll my eyes before sticking out my tongue at her. She laughs as she sits down and opens the book I gave her. As I turn around and follow Yuuko _,_ I can't help but think, I honestly just stuck my tongue out at a girl I had just met… _Emi is rubbing off on me._

Yuuko leads me to the main desk at the front of the library, and as I place the books in front of her she begins silently scanning the books. "So, how is your day going?" I ask, trying to make some conversation.

"Fine." She replies briskly, cutting off any reliable path for conversation.

"That's uhh… that's good." I reply, trying to think of something to add. She seems more nervous now, but it's not the kind of nervousness that I'm accustomed to from the clumsy librarian. Her left hand twirls in her shoulder-length hair as she stamps each book with a time stamp. I can't see her eyes as their downcast, but she seems to not even want to look up. I hear her mutter something else, but I don't quite catch what she said. "Huh?" I ask

"I said you seem to be doing pretty well for yourself." And with that she looks up, and a glare that is entirely un-Yuukoish is on her face. I reel backwards a step at the openly accusatory look she is giving me. "She just leaves yesterday, and you've already started flirting with other people. You know, I had thought better of you Hisao." She looks back down towards the books and finish stamping them, but I hardly notice.

I stand there, staring at her. _Did Yuuko just imply that I've already moved on from Lilly? I don't know what to even say to that_ …

I feel emotions start draping around me.

I latch onto the strongest one.

"Who the hell are you to even say that to me?" I almost growl out, the hostility in my voice clear. "You see me talking to a girl and you instantly assume the worse about me? You have no idea what happened between Lilly and I, and you have **no** right to speak to me as if I have done **anything** wrong."

"I know you didn't even try to get her to stay, and that's wrong enough, Hisao." She says with her disdain for me evident. "Instead of focusing on what you could have done, you just heard that she **might** be leaving and gave up on her." She slams my books down on the top of the desk. "Try focusing on what you can do instead of what you can't for once."

Before I can even reply she turns and gets up from her chair, turning her back on me. Her usual timid nature is gone as she strides away, and all I can think of her is how ignorant she must be to not even glance at my side of the story _. Lilly was leaving, one way or the other. She had already decided she wanted to go, and I wasn't going to be some groveling dog begging her to stay._

I grab my books and storm out of the library, being sure to slam the door shut behind me.

"Woahoh!" Says a loud voice from behind me, and I feel myself whipping around to see Misha standing about 5 paces from me. Her pink hair is tied up in her normal hair drills, but she doesn't have the usual bubbly expression. She looks startled, as if she was a deer… that just had a door slam five feet from its face…

"H-Hicchan?" She asks timidly. "Are you… ok?"

Only now do I realize that the door might not be the only thing scaring her right now.

I try to wipe the murderous glare off of my face and close my eyes and begin breathing deeply.

 _Breathe in through your nose… 1… 2… 3…_

 _And out though your mouth_

 _Breathe in… hold it…_

 _Breathe out_

As I go to breath in a third time, I feel arms around me and a head press against my chest. I feel her hair under my chin, and I don't know why but I just feel like I need to break down.

My breath becomes ragged and Misha guides us against the wall. Her hair feels soft and well groomed, like Lilly's always did. It smells wildly different though, and it just makes me shudder even more as I do nothing but wish that I could smell Lilly's one more time.

"It's ok," I hear her whisper. "It's alright Hicchan, I'm right here for you." Her hand starts rubbing up and down my back and I open my eyes only to find that my sight has gone watery.

I feel a sob catch in my throat as I try and muster myself, and it just pulls me back down. My arms lock behind Misha and pull her tighter as I let my face fall into her hair and let the sobs rack through my body. Yuuko's words strike me like water chipping away at rock, mostly confirming what I had already thought _. I'm weak for not standing up and asking her straight out. I'm broken because I would probably not have even survived if she had stayed. I'm a liar for not telling her the truth..._

 _I've been building this up for a lot longer than I had thought, guilt racking my body and shaking me as I think back to the dinner. She had to know I had lied about never hearing from Iwanako since I came to Yamaku. I should have told her about the letter, I knew from the moment I had said it that it was wrong._

 _And now I am standing here outside of a library crying into the shoulder of a girl who barely knows anything about me because I keep refusing to be strong._

"I regret so much of what I've done, and there's nothing I can do to fix it," I choke out to Misha.

"Hey, what does that mean?" Misha says to me.

"Lilly…" I trail off, leaving the rest unsaid.

"Hisao, Lilly loved you." She takes my arms in hers, and forces me backwards against the wall so that she can look at me. Her golden eyes lock with my own. "I knew Lilly for a long time before this, and I've never seen her care about anyone the way she did you."

I feel my head droop slightly, but she takes my chin in her hand and points it upwards so I remain locked with her. "Hey, don't look away from me. Hisao I know about regrets, trust me, do you think pink hair dye washes out easily?" She flashes a smile as she tousles her hair, making it look even messier than what I had done to it. It makes me smile, but only a little.

"And you can't fault yourself for everything. Did you know that Lilly was in student council before?" I nod my head, remembering the picture Akira had shown me of her sister along with Misha and Shizune, before they were at each other's throats all the time. "Well she left that. She cared about it, even enjoyed spending time with me and Shicchan, but she left us." She says, a bit dejectedly. I had never known why Lilly had left, but I had assumed it was because she didn't like it… hearing Misha tell it sounded like Lilly just got up and walked out.

"Her and Shicchan didn't always get along, and I'll admit Shicchan is hard to get along with for a lot of people, but I was taught that family is family, and to never back out on them. Well, Lilly did. And now she's left you, someone who was a helluva lot more family than her stupid parents." She says with a hardened look in her eyes. It gives me pause, thinking that maybe there was more behind Lilly leaving than just her parents… Could I have done something to make her feel like she had to leave? Or maybe Akira leaving her scared her? Too many questions start firing off in my head, and I feel myself slump against the wall. I feel like I'm cried out, and it hits me how tired I am.

"Hey, should I go get the nurse?" Misha asks, a worried look on her face.

"No… no, I'm fine. You're right Misha… I'm blaming myself way too much over this." I reply. I look at her and a question forms before I can even stop it. "Why are you here anyways? Schools over."

"I forgot to pack the last few days…" Misha says, a little bit of her bubbly returning as she presses her index fingers together and emits a slight chuckle. How somebody could forget to pack on their lasts days of school is beyond me, but then again, it is Misha.

"Heh, I'm amazed Shizune didn't force her way into your room and pack for you." I say, attempting at a bit of levity.

"I might have let her WAHAHAHA~" She shouts, placing her hands on her hips as she laughs. I watch the way she throws her entire body into her signature laugh, how her back arches as she throws her head back, how wide her mouth opens to emit a sound that could be heard on the other side of the school, how her entire form shakes with every breath… specifically how 2 parts bounces up and down. Not for the first time that day, my mind begins to wander and I'm forced tear my focus away from it.

 _Why do I keep thinking about that? I used to never have these urges, and now I can't stop thinking about how every girl I know is practically a model!_

"Hicchan?"

I look up and see those golden eyes looking me over with concern. I must look quite the sight. I feel my face flush as a mutter, "Uh, I'm ok Misha just… I just need some rest."

"Oh, well would you like me to escort you to your room? Maybe I could comfort you?"

 _Oh my god why?_

"Nono… No, Misha" I stammer quickly. "Umm, thank you though. I'll be able to manage that."

She bites her lip as she looks at me indecisively, and then she does something I was not prepared for.

She throws her arms around me and practically slams me up against the wall. She knocks the air out of me in a way that makes me think of a matador and a bull. She squeezes herself tight against me and my arms wrap around her almost more as a reaction than a thought. She says something indiscernible into my chest and I can't understand it, but I find myself patting the back of her head as she mutters it right into my chest.

She pulls her head off to look at me, but her body is still squeezed against mine. "No matter what, ok?" she asks.

"Alright," I say automatically, even though for all I know she just told me never to eat green beans. She smiles, closing her golden eyes and baring her teeth in a wide smile. "Good!"

And with that she breaks off of her hug that would make a trash compactor jealous, and she begins skipping down the hallway. A smile slowly spreads on my face as I watch her go. I feel a bit envious of Misha, to be honest. _She always seems to be so happy._

With that thought, and feeling significantly better than I had five minutes ago, I head the opposite direction towards the stair case, which I promptly take down and out into the main room of the building.

Feeling more than a little tired, I decide to head back to my room.

As I walk out of the main building, towards the male dorms, checking my watch tells me the time is a little before 12:00. I feel my stomach rumble at the prospect of lunch, and I did skip breakfast today… I decide that I'll make myself something to eat back in my room before finally calling it in for today, where I'll hopefully finally get some sleep.

As the male dorms come into sight, I smile as I think that today's been an alright day, at least compared to the last week.

Imagining my head hitting the pillow is interrupted though by the steadily increasing sound of a familiar clacking coming up behind me.


	4. Chapter 4: You Caught me

**Chapter 4:** **"You caught me"**

" **Hisaoooo!** "

The high pitched voice can only belong to one person.

I stop and turn to greet Emi, but as I turn I see she's sprinting at me at full tilt with no sign of slowing and a look that sends a jolt of energy down my spine. She's close, within 5 feet of me, when she launches herself bodily into the air and I only have a moment to react. Throwing my arms out in a spread she makes contact with my right arm first, pulling my body into a spin as my left arm wraps around her. Her momentum transfers to my legs as I continue the spin, rotating fully twice before I manage to stop twirling.

She's giggling like she hadn't nearly flattened me, and in spite of how tired I was just a moment ago I have a grin plastered on my face. My arms are wrapped around her waist and I can feel her prosthetics against my legs. Her face is inches from my own.

"Hehehe you know, I didn't think you would actually catch me" she says with a wink.

Me neither

"Well I had to do something, I couldn't just let you fall and make a fool of yourself." I decide on instead, laughing. "Thank god you weigh as much as a piece of paper." I say jokingly.

She pouts for a moment, but then smiles from ear to ear again.

I begin lowering her towards the ground when she says, "Actually, you were just the person I was looking for!"

"Huh?" I ask giving her a bewildered look. "What for?"

"Wellll… I miiight have missed my meet." I laugh, but am quickly silenced as she boops my head with her finger "Don't laugh!" She wears her puppy dog pout, but I still smile at her. "Well yea, I missed the bus, and I can't really go home… So I was wondering if you'd like to get lunch with me and Rin!" "Don't you mean Rin and I?" I interrupt teasingly.

She pauses and looks at me with a sharp glance "I don't know anyone named I, Hisao. And maybe **I** should just eat both of my lunches by myself then!" and she blows a raspberry at me, but then laughs. "Come on!" She grabs my wrist and pulls me along towards the girl's dormitory, my stomach apparently accepting of this boon even as my mind groans a bit as my bed grows further and further away.

Emi leads me through the girls' dorm at a rabbits pace, going up the second floor two steps at a time. I stagger along behind her barely able to keep my footing, and before I know it she stops and fishes a key out of her running shorts. "You're gonna have to wait out here, ok? I gotta get changed real quick and grab the food and I'll be right out!" I'm starting to suspect that this girl doesn't do a single thing slowly when she turns and stares at me with a hard look. "And don't go walking off like Rin does every time I tell her to wait!"

"Haha," I laugh. "Alright Emi, I'll be right here."

"Good!" She smiles cheerily, and then ducks into her room, closing the door behind her.

"And no peaking!" I hear her yell through her door, making me laugh slightly. I lean back against the wall next to the door across the hall, which must be Rin's room now that I think about it.

Realization hits me as I begin scanning the hallway that I've been in this same hallway many times before.

Just 3 doors down is a room that I spent a good amount of my time here at Yamaku in. I walk over to it, room 225 written in large numbers to the right of the door with what I'm sure is the braille written underneath the numbers. I trace the familiar numbers with my fingers.

 _There's no way you can get in there,_ I think to myself as my hand slowly moves to the doorknob.

 _It's locked, there's no point._

My hand grips the doorknob.

 _You're supposed to be waiting for Emi._

The knob twists freely.

The door slowly opens into an almost bare and unfamiliar room.

 _Go back, you're being weird. Emi will be mad you left._

Slowly, I enter the room.

A faint scent of Vanilla permeates the air, and I feel myself go weak at the knees as I'm overwhelmed of the memories I spent with Lilly here. Of the times I spent with the one person I gave myself to entirely.

I collapse to my knees in front of one of the only remaining object in the room, her table where she had thrown her tea parties. I must have been too big for her to bring home with her.

In the back of my head, I hear the tune of the music box that I had given her after spending that first night here with her, and I can almost see how her eyes went wide with surprise at the present, and feel the brush of her lips on my cheek as she kissed me in thanks.

I feel like I should be crying, but I must be out of tears from earlier today. Slowly, I feel myself get back to my feet.

I have to keep moving forward, I think to myself.

No matter what happens though, no matter where I go, I will never forget these memories.

I silently get up and walk over to the door, before turning and taking one last look into the room. Even with a renewed sense of sadness, I smile slightly. At least I got to see it one more time.

I exit the room, closing the door behind me, and begin walking back towards Emi's room. I can't let her see me upset like that, I promise to myself. I don't want anyone to ever see me like that, I decide. I've spent too much time being weak.

As I take up position at the side of Rin's door once more, Emi launches open her door with the subtlety of a rampaging elephant inside an aquarium. "Let's goooo!" She storms out into the hall wearing her school uniform as well as her colorful knee-high socks. She points a lunch bag towards their path as if it was a sword yelling "Forward!" The image of Emi wielding a cutlass flashes in my mind, which is amusing if nothing else. She skips over to me on what I notice is a pair of legs that look fairly normal, and I have to remind myself that she has more than her running blades.

"Shall we?" I ask, offering her my arm.

She giggles. "Oh wow, such a gentleman." she says before taking my arm and leading us from the dorm. On the way out we pass by a group of students, including a familiar one that I just met today with a cane, but she doesn't seem to notice us as she converses with her white haired friend. "Where are we going anyways?" I ask, just now realizing that I have no idea where she is leading us. Part of me thought Rin would have been in her room, but apparently she's meeting us somewhere.

"You, Mr. Nakai, get to enjoy a once in a lifetime chance to enjoy lunch with two bombshell beauties on the roof of the school!" She says as we walk along towards the main building. A good number of students are outside today milling about, some moving their stuff to the main gate to go home.

"Once in a lifetime? Emi, we've all had lunch on the roof before. Twice actually!"

"Yea, but this is a once in a lifetime make up chance" she says in a bubbly mood, tightening her grip on me as she starts walking at a faster pace.

"Make up chance?"

"Yea! Don't tell me you forgot!" she says, turning to me with a pout.

The clueless look on my face must say it all as she further pushes out her lower lip. "You said you would come have lunch with us again and you never did."

It takes me a moment to remember, but the memories surface, as does a bad feeling at never having thought of it. "I did say that, didn't I…?"

"Yea, you did!" she says, and we step inside the main building

"I just never showed up cause you never offered to give me free lunch again" I say jokingly, but she punches my arm anyways in mock offense.

"Ye dare take advantage of the goodness of me heart?" she replies with a fake accent. "For that, when we reach the deck I'll make ye walk tha plank!"

The image of her wielding a cutlass seems much more fitting now as I start laughing at the image of Emi with an eye patch.

"I'll send ye plummeting into Tha Sea ya scallywag." She declares, detaching her arm to throw her fists up as if to fight.

"I bet you would, but you'll have to catch me before I reach the crow's nest first!" I say with a wink and I take off leaving her standing at the bottom of the staircase as I launch myself up the first three steps in one motion. I'm halfway up the first flight when I hear her shout "HEY! NO FAIR!" and start after me.

"Life ain't fair!" I shout back, reaching the second floor and spinning up the rail towards the next.

"Hisao! I'm not supposed to run in these!" I hear her whine over my shoulder.

"I'm not falling for it, pirate!" I can hear her clattering quickly up the stairs behind me, and I can feel my breath starting to burn as it goes down my throat.

I hit the third floor and spin towards the fourth, and my chest is starting to strain. I'm already more than halfway there though, and as long as I stay on the inside and go two steps at a time I might actually win!

My feet heavily pound against the stairs as I race up towards the fourth, and for a moment I feel a hand reaching for the back of my shirt. _She's right on top of you, go!_

The fourth floor comes fast and as I try to use my momentum to spin to launch myself up the final flight, I feel her grab my left arm and pry it from the rail. We slam against the opposite wall and she pins me there, panting, and whips my arm around so my front faces her and she pins my arms to the wall with surprising strength for her small frame. She looks at me with a ferocity to her eyes as she seems hardly affected by the upward sprint whereas I pant like a dog on a hot day. I laugh, she looks about as ferocious as a kitten. She makes even this cute. She smiles slightly, but her eyes look down to my heaving chest. She places her head against it, and I can feel my heart beat pushing against my ribcage rhythmically. Her head rises and falls with my chest. It doesn't hurt, but I don't say anything. Her hands are warm wrapped around my wrists, and her hair smells faintly of strawberries. I let my head rest against the wall behind me, not resisting her hold on me, and allowing my breathing to return to normal. I can feel my heart slowly returning to its slow beat.

 **Lub-dub**

 **Lub-dub**

Hesitantly, Emi raises her head from my chest. I open my eyes to stare in her green. She lets go of my left arm and her arm come up behind my neck, pulling my face down towards hers.

"What the heck were you thinking!?" She shouts right into my face.

Not what I was expecting

"Running upstairs is a lot harder than running on a track, and you went up here faster than you were even able to run earlier! You gotta manage yourself, dummy!" I'm about to retort when she places her head against mine and her lets breath comes out raggedly for a moment as she raises her right leg.

"Hey, are you alright?" I ask, worriedly.

She raises her head from mine and looks at me, "I'm fine, no thanks to you." She says, almost aggressively. I recoil for a moment.

The look dies on her face, and she sighs. "I told you I wasn't supposed to run in these." She says, gingerly putting her leg back down.

"Oh… I thought…" I trail off, embarrassed.

"No, although I probably would do something like running in these haha…" her laugh isn't her normal cherry laugh, it is… bitter, almost. "Come on," she says, releasing me from the wall, but taking my arm. "Rin's waiting for us."

I hesitate, but I can't think of anything to say to apologize, so I start walking up the final flight with Emi in tow. Her steps seem… off, almost, like she's putting more weight on me than she was on the way here. We reach the rooftop landing and I push the door open, and the bright light hits us both in the face in full force. I have to squint to see anything, expecting Rin to suddenly appear as she has before.

It seems the roof is empty though, and a quick scan of the area confirms this.

"Oh god damn it…" Emi trails off. "She must have wandered off again." Emi sighs exasperated, and I look towards the bench and see it's vacant.

"Maybe she went to go and grab her lunch?"

Emi looks up at me with a smirk, "I dunno, grabbing things is pretty hard for her."

"Oh you know what I mean," I say rolling my eyes, which elects a giggle from Emi. She sounds a bit more cherry, which makes me smile. I like her better happy than… whatever that was in the stairwell. "I saw her eating alone in the art room the first time I met her, so maybe she has a way to carry her stuff and she went to go get it."

"Hmmm," she puckers her lips. "Mayyybe… Sometimes, I feel that if I don't bring her a lunch then she'll fade away. I guess that's transferred to you now." she says, poking at my side with a laugh as we walk towards the bench.

"Hey, I was gonna eat once I got back to my room!" I say.

"In your room? That sounds soooo bland! Look around, it's a beautiful day!" She says so loud they can probably hear her at the front gate. "There's nowhere better to spend it than up here with us… or rather, I guess just with me haha." She says. She sits down on the bench and I look out over the school grounds, and I am able to really enjoy the view. It is pretty wonderful out. "Here!" I turn and she is pulling two sandwiches out of her lunch bag, along with two juice boxes.

"Why did you have two lunches anyways?" I ask.

"I always pack two when I have a meet, you've seen how quick I can go through them hahaha. But since I'm not running today, I decided I'd share!" she says with a cheery grin.

"You were still in your running outfit when I saw you though, and that was hours after we ran this morning though?"

"Welll…" she dots her fingers together like a child. "I had to make up for missing it, so I did a couple extra laps."

"How far did you go?"

She says more of a sound than a word, and I sit down next to her and place my arm around her. She tenses up for a moment, but then relaxes and leans into my arm. "Emiiii," I say. "How far did you run?"

"About 2 miles…. But that's including the run in the morning!"

"2 Miles!?" I exclaim

"Including this morning!" She exclaims, louder this time.

"But you also ran all the way to the gate, didn't you?"

That catches her off-guard, "Yea, but that wasn't on the track so that doesn't count… right?"

"You know that counts hahaha." I say, as she pouts a bit at realizing. "And you told me to watch myself." I say, patting her shoulder. She looks up at me, "You do! I've been running for like forever, but you just started today, so you gotta take it easier." I laugh in response, but she gets up and stands in front of me. "You gotta promise me that you'll take it easier… at least until we find your limits, alright?"

"Psh, my limits? I'll have you know that I only get moderately tired walking up from town." I glibly reply, but she takes my shoulders and makes me look in her eyes.

"Promise me."

"Why do you need me to promise?"

"Cause you can't break a promise!" I know she's right, that I do need to be softer on myself, but I still hesitate to reply. "You said you didn't want to feel like you're about to fall apart, but you won't even get the chance if you push yourself too much. It takes time, but if you're willing to try then we can do this together."

Together. An image flashes in my head of Lilly and I walking back up the hill towards the school, arm in arm. I would be fine like this, I remember thinking to myself. As long as we were together, I could enjoy this.

"I'll take it easier. For now." I reply, feeling a bit of determination. I wasn't going to let my life end simply because we weren't together anymore.

"GOOD!" she shouts, pleased with my response. "Just keep going each time a little bit harder for a little bit longer, and you might not even feel a change in your heartbeat. Here, feel." She says, taking my hand and placing it on her modest chest. A blush creeps onto my face as I feel her chest. "Oh, stop it." She says, noticing my blush. "This is just to feel my heartbeat, you aren't getting to second base yet." She says with a wink

That made my blush ten times worse.

"Hehehehe, here, just feel this." She places the palm of my hand firmly against her breast and breaths in deeply. I feel her heart beat, moderately faster than mine, but also so much stronger.

 **Dub-dub**

 **Dub-dub**

 **Dub-dub**

I take my hand off, kind of amazed how at the difference in our heartbeats. A thought strikes me, and I'm glad Rin didn't walk up with my hand on Emi's chest. "Where is Rin, anyway?" I mutter, more to myself than Emi.

"Huh?" she replies. "Oh yea, where is she!? I'm getting kinda worried… and we're waiting for her! I'm gonna **staaaarve** if she doesn't get here soon." She says, patting her non-existent stomach. She walks over to the ledge and links her fingers through the chain-link fence and stands against the short concreate barrier. "HEY!" she shouts, startling me.

"What is-"

"Is that Rin!?" Sure enough I walk over to the ledge and I see a red messy hairdo in a boy's uniform walking in an arithmetic pace away from the school.

"It certainly looks like it, but I can't reall-"

"RIN!" Emi shouts. "HEY!" She shakes the fence and starts shouting down to the armless painter. "RIN I SWEAR TO GOD IF THAT'S YOU THEN I'M NOT BRINGING YOU FOOD NO MORE!" A couple of students can apparently hear her, looking up towards us at the top of the school, but the messy haircut continues walking away. "HEY, YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" she screams, and swings her right leg on top of the barrier.

"Emi I don-"

"STOP WALKING AWAY FROM US!" More people begin taking notice, and she pulls on the fence to hoist her other leg up on the barrier. Then she resumes shaking the fence. "YOU GET UP HERE OR I'M GONNA-"

 ***CLINK***

The sound is almost deafening, and arms react before I even realize what's happening. Emi's body twists as the fence comes away from the post, and her body is sent plummeting over the edge head first before she can scream.

I launch myself into the barrier and grab at her leg as she starts screaming, feeling my hands sliding on the slickness of her knee-high socks and they slip all the way down to her foot where my hand finally catch and her head and back slam against the wall, silencing her scream with an grunt of pain.

I'm barely hanging on to her false leg, which I can see is extremely loose. Blood is pooling around the prosthetic, and I can see she's a moment from sliding out. She looks towards the ground and I can hear the people beneath us screaming, but I focus all my efforts on Emi. "Hey! Emi, look at me!"

She looks up, panic clearly written on her face. "Your other leg!" I shout. "I need your other leg!" She looks at me dumbstruck until a drop of blood falls from her leg and strikes her cheek.

Quickly she kicks her other leg towards me and I grab onto it with my right arm just as her left leg comes loose. Her body nearly plummets as I release her useless right leg and grab onto the left with both arms, and her body shakes once more.

Her right leg plummets to the ground five stories down where it shatters into broken pieces.

She looks up at me once again, with tears forming in her eyes.

My hands are getting sweaty.

 **Knees weak, Arms are heavy**

 **There's vomit on his sweater already, Mom's spaghetti**

 **He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready**

 **To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgettin'**

 **What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud**

 **He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out**

 **He's chokin', how everybody's jokin' now**

 **The clocks run out, times up over, blah!**

I need to act fast. I can feel my arms begin burning and-

 **LUB-DUB**

 **LUB-DUB**

 **LUB-DUB**

Shit.

Pulling with every fiber of strength I have, she moves upwards slightly, until she screams in pain and shutters again. Her prosthetic must be cutting into her skin. I realize that I've been holding my breath and I exhale shakily. "You're gonna be fine Emi," I say. She looks at me with terror, but nods her head. I'm about halfway up her prosthetic, but she's going to fall unless I pull her up faster.

 _I'm sorry Emi_ , I think to myself as I pull once again, straining my legs against the barrier, using my body weight. She yelps again, and I can see blood start tricking up her thigh. _Oh no_. I yank with all my might and my right hand paws at her knee just above her prosthetic, but I can't get a good grip. I yank with my left again, finally finding purchase against her skin as I feel her leg coming a bit looser, but I pin her against the wall with all my strength and my other arm quickly catches onto her skin. She screams out, but goes quiet when she doesn't fall. The more morbid part of my mind notices the red blood from her leg trickles onto her exposed blue panties, but I shut it out.

I feel my arm muscles burning, and even my face feels strained as I pull her closer, just a bit more, just a little farther. "Breathe," I mutter to myself.

Pain starts to wrap around my chest as I recognize the familiar sensation, but I won't let it stop me again.

 _Not this time._

I wrap both my hands around her thigh, getting her knees to the barrier, and I can feel she's sweating as much as I am, her legs are clammy to the touch.

 _Just a little more god damn it._

I pull her bodily, grabbing onto the fabric of her skirt and her shirt underneath. With one hand on the back of her thigh and the other grabbing onto her shirt, I tug her over the wall, pivoting her over the barrier and falling onto my back as I follow through with the throw and she falls behind me.

My arms have gone entirely numb and the pain in my chest is immense as my heart screams to burst and I cry out in pain. My heartbeat's way too fast, and I place my arms on top of my chest as if holding it in place could restrain it.

 _Calm breaths, Hisao. In… out… In… out. Calm_.

As I slowly start calming my body back down, I can hear sounds of cheering, as well of that of crying. Emi

I twist my head upwards just in time to see Emi catapult herself on top of me, "thankyouthankyouthankyou Hisaoooo" she shouts, and places her head against my chest and cries. I can feel my breathing calm. She's ok. I raise my hand and place it on her head, and run it through her hair. I keep breathing in a rhythmic fashion while rubbing her head as she cries against my chest. "Just promise to never do anything like that ever again." I say, sighing.

The door bangs open, and before I know it a man has moved across the rooftop to over us in a flash. A tall shadow stands over us. "Are you alright?" it asks with concern in it voice. I recognize Kane, the new security officer, and nod. He sees Emi's bloody leg, and a grim expression is set on his face. "I'm gonna have to take you to the nurse. Both of you."

Emi looks up from my chest with a red face and tear streaks at him, but she doesn't let go of me. "I… I can't walk." She says. Kane nods, "I can carry you." He bends down, but Emi grabs on tightly to me, burying her head into my chest and shouts "NO!" He recoils, and looks at me for support.

"Emi, it's alright." I say, placing my hand against her head. She looks up at me and looks more like a frightened rabbit than the strong and determined Emi I know. "Hey, come on, I'll be right there with you." Her eyes come into focus on me as I keep speaking, seeming less and less freaked out. Slowly, she nods, and releases the grip on my shirt.

Kane bends down and scoops her up bodily in his arms, and she looks almost comically small compared to the muscular man. She grabs onto his shoulder. "Do you need help getting up?" Kane asks. I can feel my heartbeat slowed beating only slightly faster than normal. "No, I'll be alright" I say, standing. My leg gives out for a moment and I steady myself on Kane, but then the weakness is passed and I begin walking to the door. Kane follows, quickly taking up on my side. Emi looks at me from where he carries me and she sticks out her hand, which I take as we walk into the stairwell.

A rising cheer comes from the stairwell as a swarm of students begin applauding in the stairwell, and many jump to the side as Kane shouts for them to clear the way. They clap me on the back as we make our way down the stairs, and Emi shies away from them. Kane starts shouting words I can't understand, presumably English, and the kids quickly clear out. "Come on," Kane says once we get down to the second floor. "We can avoid your 'admirers' by taking the employee stairwell into the nurse's station." I hadn't even been aware of an employee's stairwell, but as we make our way towards the right there's a door labeled 'Staff only'. Kane fishes the keys from his pocket, carrying Emi with one arm as he unlocks the door to a stairwell I never knew about. We descend and come out in the hallway three doors down from the head nurses station and we walk over to it and I knock on the door. The nurse calls us in, and I open the door, only just realizing I still was holding onto Emi's hand, which she squeezes tighter. The cool air from the room's air conditioning washes over us as the nurse spins in his chair wearing his trademark grin… that quickly falls the moment that he sees us. "Oh no…" he get up and begins to rush over to us, but pauses and tells Kane to put her on the bed in the room. We walk over to the bed where he puts her down, and I slide a chair from the side over while still holding onto her hand. I turn to Kane and say "Thank you. Really." He nods his head and says something in English that I don't understand… I should have paid more attention in class. He turns to the nurse and begins explaining what happened, but I tune them out and sit next to Emi. She seems calmer now, less pancaked, but she's still shaking.

I wrap my hands around her and whisper, "Hey, you're alright now. Everything's ok." She pulls me closer and asks me "You're not gonna leave me, right?"

I smile at her. "Well I was thinking about going back and eating your lunch." I say glibly while smirking, and she actually laughs at that, even if it's just a little. She looks at me and a look of hesitation enters her eyes, but before I can ask what she's thinking she pulls me close and kisses my cheek. "Thank you, Hisao."

I stand there, dumbfounded for a moment, before my mind catches up and I smile at her. "Well I couldn't just let you fall. What's a crew without a captain?"

She laughs loudly. "Savin the captain from walkin' the plank, eh? That'll win you some bonus points" she says with a wink. The nurse walks over and I turn and stop Kane before he leaves.

"Hey, our lunches are still up on the roof. Can you go get them for us?"

"Of course, I'll be right back." He says with a wide smile and then leaves the room.

The nurse steps over to Emi's bed, and I see his eyes look to our hands for a moment before looking to Emi. His expression is grim, to say that least, but he doesn't say anything. Simple stares. Emi looks like she wants to be anywhere but here right now, and has yet to meet his gaze.

"Emiiii." he says.

She doesn't look up.

"You're gonna have to look at me sometime."

Her eyes seem intent on proving him wrong as they seem to find her remaining foot extremely interesting. I wonder why she's acting so embarrassed.

He sighs, "Hisao?" I look over at him, and he looks a bit tired. "Her leg fell to the ground, right?" I nod my head in response. "Can you do us a favor and go and get it?"

I'm about to respond in the affirmative when Emi squeezes my hand tightly and looks up panicked. "No!" she shouts. I look at her surprised and she glares at him, almost daring him to say something else.

"Are you-"

"Yes," she interrupts. "I'm sure. I don't care what he hears, he's not leaving." She squeezes my hand and looks at me and pouts her puppy dog eyes at me. "You're gonna stay right here, right?" The heart wrenching look along with the fact that she nearly slipped to her death have me rooted to the chair.

"Unless you can manage to pull off a cuter look than that," I say to the nurse, "I think I'm stuck here." I say with a lopsided grin. It elects a grin from the nurse, and I squeeze Emi's hand reassuringly.

"Alright." He says, putting his hands up in mock defeat. But I want the full story from both of you this time. What happened?"

He bends over and begins examining the end of Emi's leg as she tells him everything, from how she and I went running this morning to how she missed her meet to remembering that she had a spare lunch. He applies some sort of substance to the stump that makes her wince for a moment and she tightens her grip, but it quickly fades as he starts wrapping it with gauze. She slows down a bit as she starts talking about how we ran up the stairs, looking at me a bit concernedly, and I pick up telling the nurse about how we raced up the stairs. He looks over at Emi as I talk and I notice a hardened look in his face that makes me pause. "You were running in these prosthetics?" he asks, motioning to her fake leg. She nods slowly. "So I'm guessing all the damage to this leg wasn't simply from falling then." She nods again, like a little girl being scolded. The nurse sighs. "I'd tell you that you can't run in these, but I don't even think they'll be in walking condition when I send the security officer to go get the other one."

"The other what?" Kane asks as he steps in the room. I notice Emi's grip on my hand has significantly increased. He places the lunch bag on the side of the table and clasps his hand on my back, and I nod my head in thanks. "Her other prosthetic fell from the roof, it must have fallen when you were sprinting into the building. Can you go and retrieve it and all the pieces you can find?"

"Yea," he replies. "I will be right back with the parts" He bows slightly as he leaves.

He turns back to Emi, and places his hand against his head. "Well, at least I know you'll listen to me next time when I say don't run unless it's with your running blades." He laughs a bit coldly. "Why did you ignore me though?"

"That was my fault actually." I say. "I started running up the stairs and when she said she wasn't supposed to run in those, I didn't believe her. You can't really blame her for wanting to make sure she didn't get beat in a race by a guy with a broken heart heh…" I trail off, looking down towards my shoes as I admit it to being my fault.

She looks at me a bit concernedly, but I smile at her. I know it's the truth.

"Did you know then that you had hurt yourself?" Emi looks over at him with a fake grin, "Ehhh, a little." He rolls his eyes, but allows her to continue as he crouches down towards the other leg and unbuckles it. "Well, I could tell it was hurt a bit cause it was really sore. But I didn't think it was too bad, and I was gonna come here right after I swear." She squeaks slightly as he finishes removes the leg, and a stream of red trickles from the end. His gaze softens as she goes on, and when she looks at him he has a genuine smile on his face.

"Liar," he calls her, with a wink. He grabs the substance again and dabs a fresh cotton ball into it.

"I was!" she shouts back, and her grip on my hand tightens once more as he dabs the area.

"Hahaha alright, alright. Well then what happened next?" he asks as he begins bandaging her other leg.

Emi picks back up the story about how we waited on the rooftop for Rin, and how when we saw her walking around in the courtyard Emi started yelling and she shook the fence and fell. She said she heard the chain snap free from the post, and everything from there happened in slow motion. Grabbing onto the fence and twisting backwards, falling head first, seeing me lunging after her. She said she nearly passed out when she hit her head on the wall, thinking she had fallen the entire way, but then saw herself barely hanging onto me. She kept looking at me as she talked, and she wore the largest smile I think I've ever seen her have as she told him how I pulled her up. "He saved my life. When he let me go when we got to the top I started crying and I just couldn't stop, I kept thinking that I was gonna die and the last thing you would see were my panties hahahahaha" she says laughing. I laugh as well as the memory is still fresh in my brain, and the nurse smiles as well. "Then, that security guard came and we came here. There were a bunch of people cheering in the stairwell."

"Well I'd be surprised if the whole school doesn't cheer for him now, he's a hero!" he says, clasping my shoulder.

"A hero? No, I'm no hero, I just-"

"Ok Mr. Humble, come here." She pulls my hand and I lean closer. She reaches her arms around me and squeezes my shoulder tightly. "You're my hero. And don't you ever doubt that." She says in my ear, and I return her hug. She lets go, and I sit back with a huge grin plastered on my face. The nurse looks at us slyly, and we both laugh. "Alright, Hisao. Since you stayed for her examination, would you like her to stay for yours?"

Huh? My examination?

"Yes, your examination." He says, and I silently wonder if he's developed telepathy. "You ran for breakfast, ran upstairs for lunch, and for dinner you had a hardy lifting of girl."

"I am not hardy!" Emi retorts, making the nurse laugh.

"Alright, you skimped on dinner by only lifting a meager little girl."

"I'm older than he is!"

"And littler," he says teasingly. She responds by blowing her tongue out at him, and he laughs and turns back towards me. "Now that would be a strenuous day even if you didn't have your condition, so come on. Off with your shirt."

I turn to Emi and I see the spark of curiosity in her eyes. My eyes travel down her legs. I got to see her in a very private moment. I nod my head, it's only fair. I let go of Emi's hand and unbutton my shirt. I place it on the back of my seat as I take it off, and the nurse turns around towards his desk. "Now where did I put my stethoscope…" he says, shuffling the papers on his desk.

I look back to Emi and I see her eyes directly on the scar on my chest. She doesn't even seem to notice me looking as she take in what is probably one of my most private things. "Can I touch it?" she asks. She doesn't sound concerned or worried, just absorbed in the moment. I take her hand and I guide it along the scar. It's been months, but I can still see the marks of stitches in my skin and I'm sure she can feel them against her small fingers. She looks into my eyes and smiles, and I feel something I hadn't felt since-

A noise has me drop her hand and I turn to the nurse who's just cleared his throat and like that, the moments over. He walks over and places his free hand against my back, telling me to sit up straight. With his other he places the cold metal of the stethoscope against my chest, and tells me to breathe in deeply.

As I breathe in, I am all the more aware of the beating of my heart. The faint slowness of it beating inside my chest is, thankfully, devoid of the pain I had felt on the rooftop. I let the breath out, slowly. He repositions his cool hand on my back, and I can see his focus is fixed upon listening intently. I breathe in once more, and he stands up as I let out my breath. He steps back with a slight smile. "Well," he starts, "it's about in as good a condition as I could expect it to be. Have you had any attacks since the one you told me you suffered over break?"

 _Yea_ , I think to myself. _Just today_. I catch myself nearly shake my head no in response, but I know doing so would be lying. _I've told enough lies lately, and all they've caused is more grief. I should speak up_.

The nurse gives me a perplexed look as I mule over how to speak, until I decide on being up front is for the best. "Just today, actually. On the rooftop, when I was pulling Emi I felt one start." Emi looks at me concerned, but the nurse nods at me to go on. "I felt my arms go numb, and I felt the increased beating thump inside of my chest. It started to hurt, and I started losing control of my arms, but I couldn't let her fall. I ignored it and was able to pull her backwards, but when I was getting her over the ledge I felt my body give out and I kinda almost threw her behind me onto the roof as I collapsed." The nurse nods his head, as if he expects this to be the truth, and lets out a low breath. "You really are lucky, you know that? Both of you."

I look at him quizzically, and he laughs. "If you hadn't made him go harder running earlier today, I'm sure you did," he says with a wink to Emi, "and if you hadn't sprinted up the stairs to race her," he says to me, "your heart would have been 'fresh' and unaccustomed to any amount of stress, which would have made it start shutting down much quicker. Because you guys pushed each other today, you're both alive." We look at each other, and Emi reaches out and punches my arm, smiling widely. " **However** ," he says interrupting the levity "you've both exhausted yourselves far too much today. Hisao, any further activity over the next few days might send you into a much worse attack than the flutter you felt on the roof, and you Emi…"

He pauses as the door opens as Kane enters the room holding an utterly destroyed leg, placing it on a cart on the side of the nurse's desk. The nurse lets out a heavy sigh at the sight of it, and Kane asks "Is there anything else I can do to help?"

"No," the nurse replies. "Thank you for everything, but unless you want to join me in scolding them…"

Kane laughs and puts his hands up, "No thanks, sir. I'm afraid I don't know enough Japanese to even try that." The nurse laughs and thanks Kane once again, and he turns to us. "You two be good, alright? I don't want my first week here to have any more accidents, got it?" He says with a large joking smile. I stand up and extend my hand to him in what I learned was a Western tradition.

"No promises," I say with a smile as I shake his hand. He laughs again, patting my back and then leaves the room. "See you around."

The nurse turns back to Emi, who looks like she's trying to make herself smaller than she already is. "Look at your legs." He says to her. She looks at them downcast, and her fingers splay across the bandages that wrap around her legs. "You know what I'm going to tell you, don't you?" She nods her head, looking gloomy. He sighs, and then sits at the foot of her bed. I begin wondering just how they know each other outside of the school, seeming to be quite close. He pats her leg, and she looks up to his grin. "And this time, you're gonna listen to me, right?" She huffs, and blows her tongue out at him, but she nods her head after a moment. "Good, no less than two weeks. Your right leg is severely torn, and we'll have to ease you back into it, you know how brittle it can get." The look on her face says it all, abject horror at the idea of the next two weeks without being able to use her prosthetics. He stands up and walks over to the leg on the table. "It might be longer for your walking pair, but your running pair is fine, right?" "Mm-hmm" she hums. I can't believe that even now she's thinking about running. I sit in the chair alongside her and see the blood marks beneath her bandages are visible through the gauze.

"Alright, well we'll see what we can do about this. But I want you to look at me when I say it, I need to know you're going to take this seriously." She looks at him and he has a deadpan look to her. "Two weeks before you can run, maybe longer. And that is figuring in you Emi 'talent' for healing, alright?" She makes a noise like a dying animal, but he stays transfixed on her. "Fineeee, just shut up about it alreadyyyy." She says, laying back and putting her hands over her eyes.

"Alright, good. And you, Hisao, I want you to take it easy the next few days, alright? Walking should be fine, as long as you don't go mountain hiking, but make sure you get a lot of rest." His joke feels a bit out of place, but I just nod my head along. The idea of some rest right now seems fantastic to me. He nods his head, "Good. Now, I'll be right back, I have to make a phone call."

And with that, he turns and leaves the office, leaving Emi and I to ourselves.


	5. Chapter 5: Mother knows best

**Chapter 5: Mother knows best**

I can't believe everything that's happened today. I'm sitting here in this damn office, and I just got told that I won't be even able to walk for the next few **weeks**! For a moment, I thought **I** was gonna have a heart attack when the nurse told me that...

The fact that I even have that thought makes me feel a little bad. I look over to the boy with the weakened heart, and I can't help myself but smile as I do. He is clearly exhausted, and it looks like he's about to fall asleep. His head droops, but each time he catches himself and sits up and opens his eyes wide. I reach out my hand and place it on his, and he doesn't even react for a moment. He seems to notice it though as his eyes look slowly to his hand, and then travel along the length of my arm to look at me.

"Emi…" he says so quietly that I almost think it's just him breathing.

"You know," I say, "you don't have to stay here with me. You look like you could use some sleep." He chuckles at that, a deep tone that I find incredibly attractive.

"That obvious?" He says with a lopsided grin.

I giggle, "Just a little bit."

"Well that's too bad, I'm not leaving from this spot until we can leave this room together." He says so sure of his answer. His eyes betray him though as he says this with his eyelids drooping, half closed. I reach my hand from his hand to his face and leave it there. His eyes fall completely as I simply hold his face there and his breathing begins to slow. I desperately want to pull him onto this bed and kiss him awake, but I restrain myself.

Instead, I smack him.

Only lightly though.

His eyes fly open and his hand flies to his face. "Hey, don't go falling asleep on me yet big guy." I say, and his hand falls upon my own. I have no idea where the nurse has gone or how long he'll be, but part of me hopes that he'll come back soon and he'll order Hisao back to his room.

Another part of me wishes he never does, and I can pull Hisao into the bed with me. I find myself wanting to be held like I had been when we were on the roof. His arms wrapped around me and his hand in my hair as I cried after he saved my life. I just want him to hold me. I look over at the desk at the broken prosthetic and all the busted pieces. I want to feel safe.

A thought strikes me and I turn my attention back to Hisao who is looking straight at me with a curious look. He probably thinks that I'm just glad it wasn't me that's all busted up, but it's so much more than that. I shake my head to clear those thoughts, for now at least.

"Hey, do you like coffee?" I ask him.

"Ummm, yea, I guess. I started drinking tea more and more, but I guess I could go for a cup. Why?" and then his face falls into a grimace. "You're not gonna have me steal some from the nurse, are you?" The thought of Hisao half asleep searching the room for coffee makes me laugh, but I shake my head. "No no, there's a vending machine right outside that has coffee. Go get some." He looks at me quizzically, and I reassert myself, "You need something that'll keep you awake if you're gonna stay." He nods his head slightly, seeing the logic, but he doesn't move. He laughs slightly as he says "But if I go do that, then that means I'll have left before you could leave." I smile at him, and I feel that slight tugging I've been feeling since we ran this morning. He really cares about me. Well, then I'll use that against him, for his own good.

"Weeellll," I say, throwing on my cutest face that I know is irresistible, "I was hoping you could get me a soda from there."

"You drink soda?"

"Yea, but only when I'm upset." I say, which is true. "I think I have a pretty good reason to be, too." I say, gesturing to my bandaged legs. Ever since I lost them, I've always pushed myself to be the best. But there were times where things just got to me, and I let myself indulge a bit in my favorite drink, something my dad would give me when he thought my mom wasn't watching. Before… everything that happened.

The memories make me space out and before I know it Hisao is sitting even closer and his hand is reached to my face. His hand is so warm and soft, and I just want to nuzzle into it. "Are you alright?" he asks me with concern in his eyes.

Dammit, I think to myself. I let my guard down and started thinking about dad. I can't tell him about that. Not yet.

"Yea, I'm alright. Just a bit sad the fastest thing on no legs doesn't even have fake legs to go on now. Sad for the whole world, that is." I say, putting on what I think is a cheery smile as I wink, but he doesn't seem convinced. Thankfully, he doesn't press the question, and he nods his head. He stands up and walks towards the door, "What kind of soda?" he asks over his shoulder. "Pepsi, the cherry kind!" I reply. He turns and gives me a puzzled look. "What?" I ask. He laughs saying, "You should talk to Kane sometime. I bet he could get you crates of that stuff." And with that, he opens the door and steps out into the hallway.

"Who the heck is Kane!?" I shout through the door. I have no idea who he's talking about. _Isn't that that weird kid with the glasses and the huge scarf? What a weird name, it sounds like someone they'd talk about in a church. I guess it'd be fitting for a guy like that. Or maybe the guy who carried me down here_ …

The more I think about it, the more that seems more like it. _And I think he spoke English a few times, but I don't really know. I've always been so terrible at the subject._

 _I can't remember, for the life of me, the other guy's name though. Maybe Hisao will know it._

My mind turns back to him and I begin feeling all the complexities of the day settling on my mind again. I was proud to see that he was on his way down to the track, and I was only gonna scare him a little bit until I saw him skipping stretches. Helping him with stretches though… I smile, remembering grasping his hand in my own, and then when we fell down on the track after he actually managed to finish, just listening to the steady beat of his heart. I can almost hear it now in just the quiet of the room.

I shouldn't be feeling like this, but I nearly jumped for joy when I saw him on the way to the dorms. I should be giving him space. _He and Lilly did just break up, right? Maybe I'm moving too fast…_ but as I think, I picture the image of rushing towards the ground only to be grabbed out of the air by him. Looking up at his set and determined face, it was the same face he had when he said he needed to get better. I was panicking and I could barely keep myself from screaming as I looked up at the ground far below, but something in his face told me that I needed to be calm _. Looking at him kept my heart from going up my throat, and I managed to even kick my other foot out to him without squirming. How he held me in his arms after when I was crying on his chest. Even then, hearing the beat of his heart calmed me. He makes me feel safe, and even when it's just in a room together talking he makes me smile_.

When he gave up running, I almost felt disgusted with him. Then he started dating Lilly and he practically dived under my radar, and I just didn't care about it. But that lunch we all had on the roof a few weeks ago showed me he could make me laugh, and I felt a pang of jealousy, but I couldn't do anything cause he was with Lilly. Which made me want him even more. But Emi Ibarazaki isn't anybody's number two girl, and I wouldn't fall into that.

Then I heard that he and Lilly broke up from Misha, and I felt almost like a breath of fresh air. I tried seeking him out the last few days of school, but I never found him. _Maybe I should take that as a hint, that I should just let things work themselves out._

 _Oh god, I can't believe I kissed him._ I smile and giggle to myself, blushing. Even if it was just on the cheek, that's the most I've done with anyone in a **loooong** time. _Hopefully that'll change soon. We nearly did much worse than that at the track just earlier today… well, now, I have a better reason for it. The hero's gift, yea that's what I'll call it. He seemed to really like it when I called him that_ , I think as he walks through the door. My eyes travel up from his toes to his eyes, he's actually pretty cute. _He could be stronger if he worked at it, and his hair definitely needs a comb… or super glue, since it always looks messy, but his eyes are soft and kind and looking straight at me… shit._

"Checking me out, eh?" he says jokingly as he walks to the chair and sets the drinks on the side table. I blush a little, but I fire back quickly "Oh I wanted to do it once considering you've done it like 6 times today." I stick my tongue out at him and his face turns a deep shade of red. "I- I did not!" He says. _He's so cute when he's embarrassed_.

"Oh yea? Don't think I didn't feel your eyes on my ass when we were running." He looks down and his face turns even redder. I might be pushing him a bit too far… "Oh, don't worry, I don't blame you, it is a pretty great ass." I say, giggling while putting my hand on his arm. As he looks back at me I give him a wink, which makes him laugh a bit, even a bit nervously. "Yea," he says. "It is a pretty great ass." Now it's my turn to blush as I laugh, sitting back against the firm pillows of the bed.

"Hey, let's actually eat this lunch!" He says excitedly. Wow, that coffee kicked in pretty quickly. "Ummm, which sandwich do you want?" he asks.

"Mmmmm" I hum, thinking it over. "Gimme the turkey one." He hands it over dutifully, as well as a cherry juice and the Pepsi. I pout at him as he does. "What?" He asks with a confused expression that nearly makes me break my pout to laugh.

"I wanted the grape juice…" I say, blinking my eyes. He hesitates looking at me, and then he tries pouting himself. _It looks horrible. It'd be funny if it weren't so bad_. "But I wanted the grape."

 _I lied._

 _It's hilarious._

I throw my head back laughing and he starts laughing along.

"That's what you look like when you do that hahaha," he says.

"Oh, so you were mocking me?" I say, acting insulted. "I thought you were imitating kid that was about to throw a tantrum."

 _I should be actually insulted given how terrible it was, but I can't help but find it funny._

"No, that's exactly what you did!" he exclaims. I put back on my pout "That is not! I look so much cuter than that." He puts up his hands to shield himself, but nobody can hide from my all mighty pout, and he sighs and reaches for the grape juice, tossing it to me. "Here's your beloved grape juice, little miss." He says, acting upset, but I can see the smile he's trying to keep hidden.

"Ohhh, I'll grape you after we eat lunch." I say

 _Holy shit._

Just like when the fence snapped, everything goes into slow motion. I freeze as what I said pierces the air like a javelin, and I watch as his face goes from joking to disbelief at what I said.

 _Why did I say that?_

 _What the hell is wrong with me!?_

I feel a look of terror frozen on my face for what feels like minutes as we sit there in the silence, until it is broken by the sweet sound of him chuckling deeply. It gets a bit louder, and I find myself slowly starting to laugh along, until we are both howling with laughter. He's bent over forward laughing, and I am so glad that he understood I was joking.

"I don't think I want the grape juice anymore," I say, which launches us both into a further set of laughter.

When we finally both calm down, I take the juice and place it next to me on the nightstand next to a small, old looking clock. I pick the clock up to get a better look at its hands. It's just a little after one.

"What time is it?" Hisao asks.

"It's about 1:20pm. The nurse has been gone for almost a half hour…" I trail off. _Maybe my wish came true. Ah well, I'm sure he'll be back soon_. I put the clock back on the stand, and turn back to my sandwich and soda, which I excitedly start to tear into. I haven't eaten since this morning and I feel famished!

Hisao grabs his sandwich as well, and I notice how slowly he unwraps the whole thing and then begins eating it. By the time he's halfway through I'm already swallowing the last bits of mine. I burp slightly, which makes me blush as he looks up at me and smiles. "You flew through that!" he says, surprised. "Well yea, I am a growing girl after all!" I say winking.

"This is the first thing I've eaten today. It's really good, did you make it?" he asks.

"Nope, my mom packed it for me!" I say, smiling widely. I nearly ran out the door before she grabbed me and gave me the sack with my lunch, I would have totally forgotten had she not.

"But wait, this is the first thing you've had today?" I ask.

He nods his head, "Yea. I didn't get too much sleep last night, and I figured I would grab something after I went running. I guess I sorta just forgot, heh."

"Oh god, don't tell me I'm gonna have to make sure you eat like I have to do for Rin." I say joking. He laughs, but then looks puzzled. "I wonder where she went, it'd be pretty hard for her not to notice what happened on the roof… then again, she is… well, Rin." I giggle, most people seem to have an issue understanding Rin.

"Yea, it took some work for me to get her at first, but she's really a nice person. She'll find out what happened and I'm sure I'll hear from her about it soon enough. But you gotta make sure you eat breakfast, alright? It's the most important meal of the day!"

"You know, you sure do lecture me a lot about my health" he says, but he smiles as he says it. "I've dodged around it in the past, but I should really address it. I'm gonna be trying to be healthier from now on, and if that includes breakfast, well than I guess I'll just have to **suffer** through it." I look at him curiously, but he smiles and I can see he's joking.

"Well, if you like, I can come here early tomorrow and we can have breakfast together." I say before I can stop myself. I mental kick myself, _I'm trying to push him way to fast and he's gonna get weir-_

"Sure, that sounds really nice actually" he says with a wide smile. You can teach me what kind of stuff I should have, hahaha keep me from eating the super sugary cereal that I got the other week."

I feel my heart do a little dance of excitement and I am starting to feel much better as I snap open the top to my Cherry pop. _You know, for everything that's happened, today's turning out to be a pretty wonderful day._

My train of thought is interrupted when the door opens and the nurse steps back into the room. His blue hair looks a little messy, as if he'd been running his hand through it, and I watch him pocket his cellphone. "So where the heck have you been?" I ask him. He looks at me and opens his mouth to respond, but it closes when he looks at me drink. For a moment I see hesitation in his eyes, but he lets out a sigh that worries me.

"Well, first off I had to call a colleague of mine, the one that fitted you for your legs. I had to make sure he still had the measurements on file, which he does, but he insists that we weigh and measure you again in case your weights shifted and we can make you another custom pair." That doesn't exactly seem like a thirty minute phone call, but he pauses and looks a bit nervous.

" **Aaaannnnddd?** " I ask

"Aannndd I called your mother."

 _What?_

 _Oh no._

 _Oh shit!_

"Waitwaitwait before you blow up," he says quickly before I can start screaming at him, "I had to. You know I had to. There's no way you could simply take the bus back, and you're going to have to use the wheelchair until you can walk again. I know you didn't want me to, but I had to."

I feel as if my head is boiling, he called my mom behind my back.

"She thinks I'm supposed to be at a track meet, you asshole!" I shout at him.

"I know, I know, she already grilled me about that. I'm sorry, but it had to be done."

I'm about to scream further but a hand on my arm stops me and I find myself looking into Hisao's soft brown eyes, and my anger melts. "Hey, it's alright. Calm down." He says firmly. "You know he's right." I pout at him taking his side, but I huff and sit back in the bed and cross my arms.

"You're still an asshole." I say to the nurse. He smiles that damn cocky smile though, "I'll take that from you rather than your mom. If I didn't tell her, she'd kill me, and well who would you ignore then?"

"You're lucky I don't kill you!" I say, raising the grape juice to toss at him, but Hisao stops me by catching my arm.

 _Why does he have to be so damn good at catching me?_

I sigh, defeated, and Hisao says, "Hey it's not so bad. She could have gotten a much worse call after all. I'm sure she'll just be glad to know you're alright."

Part of me wishes I did fall rather than have to face the embarrassment of telling her about everything that's happened…

"She'll be here in a little bit, she's getting out of work and will head here right after." I nod my head absentmindedly, thinking about what I'm gonna say to her.

"How soon is she going to be here?" Hisao asks

"About twenty minutes" the nurse replies, walking around to the side of the office. He disappears behind the curtain for a moment and even though I know what he's doing I desperately hope it's something different.

My luck for the day has apparently run out as he wheels out that dreaded chair. I look at it with nothing but contempt, _I hate that god damned chair. It's more like a straitjacket with how it contains me. Just looking at it makes me want to run, but that wouldn't work out very well seeing as I don't have anything to run on_. I feel a hand on mine and I look and see Hisao smiling at me. It's kinda comforting, but I really don't want him to see me like this. _Whenever people see me in that chair, they always look at me differently. I stop being the fastest thing on no legs and just become the girl with no legs. I can't run, I can barely even move when I'm stuck in the cursed thing. All I can think as the nurse pulls it over to the bedside is that when Hisao sees me in it, all he's going to do is just pity me. That's all I am, isn't it? Poor helpless Emi. Lost her legs and lost her dad. I feel sick._

The nurse goes to help me but I smack his hand away. "No, I can do it myself." _It's very rare that I ever have to be confined to one of these fucking things, but every moment of it is hell. People going out of their way to pity me… I can do it on my own._

I raise myself off of the bed and pull myself into the chair. I feel like there are straps on the arms that confine me to it, and I feel my breath quicken. I can't bring myself to even look at Hisao, if I see that damn look of pity I might scream. Or cry.

 _Probably both,_ I think glumly.

The nurse bends down and looks at my legs, "I'll text your mom to tell her that she'll need to change your bandages when you get home. Hopefully the bleeding will have stopped by then, but I don't want to risk doing it right now." He looks up at me. "Oh, don't give me that look. You think you're going to have it bad? She'll have my ass when she sees how busted your leg got. 'Why didn't you keep an eye on her? How could you let her go doing gymnastics on the roof? Are you crazy!?'"

"Gymnastics?" I ask, confused? "You told her I was doing gymnastics? On the school roof? And she believed that?"

"It was the first thing I thought of, I wasn't gonna be the one to tell her you nearly fell off while making out with some guy she's never heard of" he says, winking.

I doubt I could be redder right now. I can feel myself tensing in the chair, and I'm moments from throwing myself onto him and beating the shit out of him.

"Tell me you're joking. Right now."

He throws up his hands defensively. "I am, I am. Jeez, you can be pretty frightening when you're mad hahaha."

I still wanna beat the crap out of him when Hisao clears his throat. I look over at him and I can see the faint blush marks on his face. "Well, if she's gonna be here soon, I'll walk you to the gate."

 _And there it is. That's exactly what I feared would happen. He's offering to push me to the gate because he thinks I can't do it myself. This morning, I was Emi the track champion. This afternoon, I was Emi the pirate captain. And now? I'm Emi, the legless girl stuck in a fucking wheelchair. I actually kissed him, I thought he saw more in me than my lack of fucking legs. I think I might throw up._

 _Well, you know what, I don't need legs, and I don't fucking need him._

I look away from him, because if I don't I feel like all my insides are going to tear themselves apart. "I don't need you to push me." I say in a low tone. I can feel tears starting to swell up in my eyes. The nurse sees me, and opens his mouth to interject, but I'm not going to let him. I'm going to-

"Push you!?"

What?

"I'm not going to push you." I look over at him and he's already turning towards the door. "This is my one chance to ever beat you in a race!" And with that, he opens the door and steps outside.

 _What?_

 _WHAT?_

" **HEY NO FAIR!** " I scream after him, and my hands fly to the wheels of the chair and start turning them. I practically bowl the nurse out of my way as he shouts after us "I see you're both taking it easy!" I ignore him. I fly out the door and there's Hisao, standing with a damn lopsided grin. "I figured I'd let you catch up first" he says, smirking.

"You asshole." I say, but there's a smile a mile wide on my face.

"Come on," he says, starting forwards. "Let's take it as a slow race." He turns and the smile on his face has my heart pounding. I want to grab him by the back of his shirt, tackle him, and plant my lips on his, but I resist the urge and start forward towards the exit.

I start feeling butterflies in my stomach as I push myself forward out the exit, and he walks alongside me. He looks over at me, "Soooo, your mom…"

"Yea?" I ask.

"She's not gonna like run me over with her car like how we met, is she?" I laugh pretty hard at that, remembering back to when I toppled over him in the hallway. _A great first impression. At first, I thought he was going to yell at me. But the way he looked at me… For the rest of the day, I just couldn't stop thinking about him. Normally I forget people's names right away, but his just… stuck._

There's a part of me that keeps telling myself that this isn't good, that I'm getting too wrapped up in someone who might still have feelings for someone else, but I squash the voice down. _Lilly was gone, right? So that means Hisao is single, right?_

 _Oh nooooo he's gonna meet my mom._

 _Is this too fast? This is totally too fast._

We arrive at the gate and I feel like I'd be about to fall over if I wasn't already in this chair. For the first time, I'm grateful for it. I still hate it though. Hisao stands next to me and places a hand on my shoulder, which he squeezes reassuringly and smiles down at me. To think I felt small next to him before, now I barely come up to his waist.

 _Take his pants off!_

I blush, trying to shut myself up, and he looks down at me amusedly.

"Soo, uhh, I heard about you and Lilly…" I say, trailing off. Immediately, I can tell I touched on a sore spot as his face falls, but I need to know before I go any farther.

"Yea…" is all he says, looking upset.

 _I don't like how he looks, it doesn't fit his face._

 _He should be smiling._

Before I can say anything though, he continues. "I don't really know where things stand, to be honest. She just kind of… left. It was just yesterday that we were standing here actually when she got in the car with her sister and now she's probably already gone. I may never see her again…" he trails off, and he gets a faraway look in his eye. A part of me feels like I made the right choice in not tackling him and ripping his shirt off, but… I need to say something. What do you say to someone like that though?

"You know how I like to run all the time?" I say, before I even realize what I'm saying. He looks at me, confused but he nods. My mouth carries on without me even thinking about it. "Sometimes, I feel like I run to forget. I run so fast that the thoughts can't keep up haha…" I say, trailing off. _Why did I say that? I've never told anybody that. What is it about him that just makes me want to spill my guts to him?_ "Maybe, if you keep running, you'll be able to forget too."

He's about to say something when a honking of a car horn interrupts us. My mom pulls up in her car. "Hey ma," I say, still a bit embarrassed as she gets out of her car. She still has her work uniform on, and her hair is tied back in a long pony braided pony tail with her familiar orange bandana on top. She rushes over from the side of the car and crushes me in a hug. "Oh Emi, thank god you're alright."

"Guaahhhh," I groan as she cuts off my airway. "I'm fineee mooommm." I pout a bit as she lets go of her hug and crouches down next to me. "What were you thinking? Gymnastics on the roof, you could have gotten yourself killed!"

 _ **I'm going to fucking murder that man.**_

"I wasn't doing gymnastics!" I shout, and she giggles. _Why did she giggle!?_

"I am just joking with you dear." She says, stifling a laugh. "He told me all about how you were shaking the fence like a monkey trying to get Rin's attention when it caved in. Ah, and you must be Hisao!"

She turns to Hisao, who begins bowing respectfully when my mom grabs him and pulls him into a hug. "Thank you for saving my daughter." She says, sincerely. He looks at me over her shoulder and I smile at him with a shrug and mouth 'sorry.' He laughs and pats her back. "Oh you don't need to thank me. I much prefer her this way." He winks at me, which makes my heart skip a beat.

"Oh? You wouldn't want her even a little bit taller?" My mother says to him. I blush "Moooom!" He takes it in stride though, "Oh, I think she did actually when gravity was trying to stretch her out." I punch him in the thigh and he bends over "Just cause I can't hit her doesn't mean I can't get you!" I say to him, before grabbing him and pulling him into a hug. "Thank you Hisao. For everything." He holds me like that for a few moments and I just want it to go on forever but it doesn't last and he stands up as my mom takes my chair and she starts walking us to the passenger side of the car. I go through the familiar motions of lifting myself from the chair and into the passenger side, and my mom thankfully has learned not to dote on me and folds the chair and begins putting it in the back. I turn and see Hisao just standing there, unsure of what to do, and I wave him over.

"Now, I know the nurse said we both had to take it easy, but would you like to meet up for breakfast tomorrow?" He smiles, "I would love that." I reach up and kiss him on his cheek, and his blush is adorable. I hear a hum from my mother that shows she saw it, but I don't care right now. All I care is that he is smiling again. "Goodbye Emi." "Meet me by the track about 12pm, which means we can both get some **much needed** **rest**." I stress the rest part to show I know how tired he is, and he rubs the back of his head. "Hahaha, yea, that sounds pretty good actually. Any earlier and I might sleep through my alarm." I giggle at him as he yawns, and I hug his leg. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Hisao!" My mom waves to him and he returns her wave as she gets in the car and we drive off down the hill.

"Soooooo…" my mom says with a tune, and I know that this is going to be a long conversation. "Details!" Her face has a wide smile and there's a certain brightness in her eyes.

I laugh at the way she seems excited about it, I really do take a lot after her.

I turn around and look at the school fading in the distance, and I see Hisao walking back in through the gates. My mind falls on his broken heart, but this time I don't think of how much it must hurt him.

 _I'm going to put it back together._


	6. Chapter 6: Life of Hana

**Chapter 6: Life of Hana**

The quiet of the library has always been a welcome feeling to me. Being able to get away from everything and just sit and read in the soft summer evening light had been a way for me to escape, and sometimes I would get so lost in a book that I could forget everything that'd happened until Ms. Yuuko would come and tell me she was closing down. Now? I can't get my mind off of everything if I wanted. I brush a lock of my long purple hair out of my eye absentmindedly as I turn towards the bespectacled girl sitting next to me. She's typing away furiously at her laptop with information about the trip her, Naomi, and I are going on throughout Japan. We've been going over locations we want to all go and see, and we might be passing by Hokkaido… although now the memories might be more sad than they were happy just a few weeks ago. Lilly is leaving for Scotland tonight and Hisao… He might as well be gone too with way that he looked this morning. I had originally sat down at his table with him before I had noticed he had fallen asleep, and I came back to my corner to give him some space. That's all he needs, right?

 _You know how feeling alone is more than anyone, you think he wants that?_ My mind lashes out at me, something it's been doing since I left him standing there last night. _What was I supposed to do? He just stood there not saying anything I couldn't just…_ I couldn't even sleep last night. I had lost my best friend and now I seemed to have lost Hisao as well…

"Natsume?" I ask with blurry, tired eyes. I want nothing more than to just go and lay down now, I've had enough of today already. She looks up from her laptop but somehow manages to keep typing. She types quickly too, but she stops as she seems to notice I'm still staring at her fingers.

"Hehe, sorry Hanako. I guess I just can't stop writing if I try." She laughs as if she's told the joke a hundred times, but I find myself giggling at it. She really is a good writer, and the newspaper club is lucky to have her. "So, what's up?" she asks.

I feel myself a becoming a bit fidgety, but I know that's just my nerves. They haven't been bothering me as much lately, but I can still feel myself getting worked up occasionally. _Natsume is your friend, I'm sure she will understand wanting to call it an early night. Even if it is super early._ "I was ju-just thinking…" I say, trailing off as I hear a loud bang at the front of the library.

Natsume cocks her head quizzically and we can hear the footsteps of somebody running down the aisle towards the back and I feel fear tensing up in my body. The library closes early today, who would come barging in and running back here. My heart skips a beat thinking it might be Lilly, but I don't think I've ever even seen her run. Sure enough, my hopes are squashed when Naomi sprints around the bookshelves and runs right towards us.

"Naomi? Is everything ok?" Natsume asks.

"What are you still doing here!? Haven't you heard about what's been happening!?" Naomi's usually loud voice seems amplified with how silent the rest of the library is. Natsume looks over at me and I look back, "We've been here all afternoon…" she says. I look at my watch and see that it's a little after 1:45pm.

Naomi looks straight at me and stops, and for a moment she looks fidgety. She bites her lip, as if mulling over what to say.

"You and Nakai are friends, right?"

A pang in my chest as I feel the familiar sense of panic rising.

"Why!?" I say with a little more force than I mean to. Naomi looks to Natsume, and Natsume nods, urging her on.

"Well, he and that Ibarazaki girl nearly fell off the roof and died just a little bit ago."

I can see Naomi going on, using hand motions along with her, but I don't hear her. It's as if I have gone deaf, but I can hear myself breathing. Natsume must have asked her something because they're talking back and forth rapidly. The breathing becomes more rapid and shallow, and it feels like I can hardly breathe at all.

 _You know what's happening, it's a panic attack. You can control it!_

The image of Hisao standing on the ledge of the roof is all I can see

 _Count backwards from ten, like you practiced. You can do this_

He standing there, looking out over me. I'm at the bottom of the building below him.

 _Ten… Nine… come on Hanako_

The wind blows his messy hair forwards, as he stands motionless like a statue

 _Eight… Seven… you can beat this_

He finally moves, his leg pushing forward

 _Six… Five… Everything is-_

He falls.

 _Four… Three… just stop-_

His hair is swept back across his head as he plummets to the earth. His arms spread out ahead of him and I can see his eyes as he rapidly approaches the ground. They're the same as when he had his attack in Hokkaido, or when he faltered on the roof. Filled with fear.

He slams into the ground with a sickening crack and his body bounces slightly, twisting at an impossible angle. He lands face up directly at my blood covered feet

 _Two… One_

 _He looks just like Dad._

A hand on my shoulder shakes me back to reality and I feel the wetness on my eyes and see the concerned looks of Natsume and Naomi. Natsume reaches out for my shoulder but I back away more out of habit than anything.

"Hanako? Are-"

I'm gone before she finished the question, and I'm running through the library. I smack into Yuuko as she comes out of a side passage but I don't even slow down as she hits the bookshelf. I don't care about Yuuko, I don't care about myself, I only care about-

BANG! The doors slam open as I hit them at a full sprint, and I'm across the hall and down the stairwell before they close shut. Sprinting through the school, I run by a red headed girl in the main hallway. She say's something, but I don't stop. I have to get to him.

I find the front door and am outside in moments. I run straight, but I realize I don't have any idea where I'm going. I don't care, I just need to find him. As long as I find him, everything will be alright.

Please be alright.

I stop, forcing myself to take a breath and think. I'm standing in front of the school facing the entrance. I bend over gasping for breath, trying to get the image of his broken body laying beneath me out of my head. _Alright, so if he nearly fell off the roof, that means he's alright now. But his heart… He might be at the nurse's station. Look there_.

I'm about to turn and hurry back to the nurse when I hear the front gate creek open. I turned and I can see Hisao walking inside of the grounds. He has his lost in thought face on, something that's never really far away. _He's ok. He's really ok._

I feel fresh tears forming in my eyes but I can't move. I can't stop picturing him like he was in my mind, how different he looked from that.

He notices me staring at him and he goes from thinking to confusion to concern in mere moments. "Hanako? Are you al-"

Before he can finish I feel a sob break from my mouth and I charge across the court yard and throw myself at him. Tears come unrestricted now.

 _You're ok, you're ok, thank god you're ok._

I try to speak, say anything, but it just comes out as sobbing. He has his arms wrapped around me and my face is buried in his chest. He's stroking my hair with his hand, something Lilly used to do when I was upset, and I just wish she was here too. I want Lilly to come back.

I want my family back.

Slowly, I feel the tears stop. Hisao is holding me close, and he's whispering something. "Everything's ok Hanako, everything's alright."

 _It's not alright, I lost my sister and I nearly lost you too._

I want to say something, anything, but it's just more tears and he keeps whispering to me. After a minute, I feel the tears start slowing down and my breath begins steadying. Slowly, Hisao backs away from me, but keeps one arm around me and guides me towards the dorms. Only then do I notice the other students looking on, and I push myself closer into Hisao with tears still dripping. He waves a few of them away without a word and keeps walking.

I stop sobbing as we reach the girl's dorms and I see Misha walking out with a backpack. She looks at us and starts walking up, but Hisao waves her away too. She looks at him and nods, and walks away. _Good, I don't want people to see me like this. I don't want people to see me at all._ I feel sick as we walk up the stairs.

 _I tried so hard to not be noticed and I freaked out, now people will remember me as the crying freak. I want to be better. Why can't I just be normal?_

As we reach my dorm, Hisao turns to me and hugs me. "We're gonna go in and talk ok? Just us." I nod, and fish the key from my pocket. I place it in its slot and turn it. The door opens before us and we enter the room. I plop onto the bed and I just feel so tired now. I'm so tired of everything.

Hisao sits next to me, and I lean against him. He strokes my hair again, just like Lilly used to do. I miss her so much.

We sit like that for a while in quiet except for when I occasionally sniff my nose. It feels so runny after crying. I feel better though. I needed to cry.

Hisao yawns quietly and gently pulls me into a hug and places his chin on top of my head. Whispering, he asks, "Feel any better?"

I nod, but when I open my mouth to say yes it doesn't come out. Instead, I say "I'm sorry." He doesn't react for a moment, but then he gently holds me away and looks down on me. He's face is confused and goofy looking. I might laugh if things were different.

"That's… not what I was expecting. Why would you be sorry?"

"I…" I trail off, not sure what to even really say. "I s-sat by you earlier today, but you were asleep so I thought you would like to be… to be…" I feel anxiety closing off my airway, but he sits there patiently brushing my hair and nods for me to go on. "To be left alone. If I hadn't left you, you might have never gone to the roof, and you wouldn't have slipped and…" I can't talk as the image of his broken body flashes in my mind again and I grab him tightly, pulling myself close to him.

He makes a humming sound, and I look at him confused. He sounded just like Lilly when she knew something but didn't say it, and sure enough there's the same smile she has. "Do you think I slipped on the roof, Hanako?"

The way he says it is strange, like that's not what had happened.

"Umm... Y-yes?" He chuckles lightly and pulls me close again.

"I didn't slip. Actually, the person I was with did. Emi and I were having lunch and she… well long story short, she was shaking the fence and fell over the edge. I was barely able to grab her in time and pull her back up."

What? Emi was the one who fell? I realize now that Naomi had said something about Emi, but I had completely forgotten about it… or maybe I just didn't pay attention cause I was so worried about Hisao. An image pops in my head that makes me giggle.

"What is it?" he asks, smiling at me.

"I-I was just thinking… Emi might have been able to pull you back up easier than you could her." The look on his face makes me laugh out loud, something I've been doing more and more lately.

"Why, I never," he says, standing up from the bed. He looks at me in mock offense. "Don't you think I'm strong, Hanako?" He pouts and it makes me laugh again.

"M-maybe to lift someone as light as Emi," I respond jokingly. His joking look fades away and he looks a bit nervous for a moment.

"Well, to be honest, it wasn't even all of her. One of her prosthetics had fallen off, so she was pretty light hehe." The image of Emi hitting the ground comes into my head for the first time… her small form broken on the ground

"So hey," he says, and tilts my chin to look at him. "Don't apologize. If anything, we should be grateful things happened how they did, who knows what might've happened to her if I hadn't gone." He lets his hand fall, and I can see him look downwards. "Heh, if things had gone differently, Emi might be in a morgue rather than a wheel chair."

Even knowing he was joking, it falls flat and I don't really know how to respond. I get up and hug him, just wanting to be with him.

"You're all I have left," I whisper to him. "I couldn't bear to lose you too."

He sighs, placing his arm on my head. I can see just how tired he looks right now, almost like he's going to fall over. "I'm not all you have, Hanako. You still have Lilly, you always will have her." He looks sad, like he did last night when he watched her go. I feel himself pulling away from me, and I know I have to let him go.

"I need to get some rest, I didn't sleep very well last night. We can talk more tomorrow Hanako." He walks over to my door and slides it open, but stops and looks back and I can see he has a big grin on. "Goodnight, sweet dreams."

 _He's faking it._

He walks out the door-

 _Are you really going to let him leave?_

-and starts sliding it shut

"Wait!" I feel myself rising from the bed so fast it hurts my head. He stops and stares inside, the door barely open wider than his head.

He stands there, looking at me, and I don't know what to say.

 _Invite him to travel with you across Japan!_

"Wo-would y-you…" I can't get the words out, and he yawns. I can see the bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, and I know that I can't ask him. "Would you give me one more hug." He stands there for a moment, but then slides the door open and hugs me tightly. I squeeze him hard, knowing that in a few days I would be gone and he would be… I don't really know where.

"No matter how far away she is, you'll always have her too," I whisper to him "She would do anything for us, and she's only as far away as we let her be." I squeeze him tightly one more time and as we break away I see a legitimate smile on his face.

"You're right Hanako, she is. Goodnight."

He steps out into the hall and closes the door behind him, and I can hear his footsteps fade down the hall.

I sit down on my bed, laying back into the pillows. I check my phone and see its 2:17. It's only been a half hour sense the library. It feels like much longer.

My mind turns to Naomi and Natsume, who no doubt I'll have to talk to about what happened today. That's ok though, they're my friends. I consider calling Lilly to tell her about all that's happened today, but I don't want to worry her. The last thing she needs before her late night flight is some last minute panic.

 _I'll call her tomorrow, like we promised._


	7. Chapter 7: The Concrete Crane

**Chapter 7: The Concrete Crane**

When I had left Hanako's room, I had been so tried that I nearly fell asleep in the hallway.

When I had gotten to the boys dormitory, a boy clapped me on the back and asked me how it felt like to be a hero. I nearly fell over. I left him unanswered, and had struggled to get upstairs.

When I entered my room, I had thrown my phone and key onto the end table and flopped onto my bed like a dead fish. And I couldn't fall asleep.

How long have I been laying here, unmoving? My body is tired, my eyes held shut with scales, and yet…

My mind is busier than a beehive. Part of me just wishes it would stop, that I could somehow empty my mind, but my inner monologue refuses to silence itself as I review the events of the day.

 _I promised Emi that I would get some sleep and that I would come running tomorrow. I also told that Saki girl I would get lunch with her... Ugh,_ I groan inwardly _._

Everything has been changing so quickly. I might actually have plans for this summer now. People at school thought of me as a hero, Emi and Misha actually want me around, I should be happy right?

 _Then why can't I just relax?_

 _Am I really a hero?_

Would she have even gone up to the roof is I hadn't run into her? Would she have waited long enough for Rin that she'd be able to see her outside?

I sigh, rolling over onto my side.

Everything has changed so fast, and yet I still feel like a huge chunk of myself is missing. I should be ecstatic, I should be happy, but all I want to do is just relax and have tea with Lilly. I can almost smell the vanilla scent of tea in the air and even just that makes my muscles relax. I turn around and look at the vacant spot that she had occupied just before. I can almost see here laying there, picture her laying before me with her porcelain white skin… _I hope she's alright._

I place my arm to my chest and feel my heart beating quicker than normal, even though the adrenaline of the day is gone.

I sit up, trying to banish the phantom senses from my mind. I shake it, and the vanilla scent fades. My arm goes to my nightstand and I pick up my clock and look at the numbers. 7:07pm. I've been laying here for hours thinking about the same thing, and would probably spend hours more.

I place the clock back, but as I do I notice something behind it in the evening light. I move the clock and there sits a paper crane.

I pick it up in my hands, and look it over. Lilly had given it to me around a while ago, it wasn't long after we had met. Hanako and Lilly had invited me to lunch on the roof and we met with Emi and Rin up there. It had been nice until my heart had fluttered and ruined the mood. Just like Lilly though, she got us past the awkward silence and had made me this crane after everyone else had left.

I could almost hear her words when she had given it to me.

"Everyone here has had to find their own ways of dealing with their conditions. You aren't alone when you have problems."

 _You aren't alone when you have problems_

 _She would do anything for us_

 _Oh no_

That's what Lilly is, isn't it. It's what she's always been. Her family abandoned her, Akira was always at work… her only true friend was Hanako, and she hold everyone else at a distance. Even with Hanako… No, I really doubt that she shared that kind of things. Lilly always tried shouldering her own burdens. She was always alone…

Even when we met, she had seen me as someone who needed help and care. At first, I simply thought that we'd be fine as friends, helping each other through our limited time together in school. But then I began to treasure our moments together more and more, from our quiet walks, to our talking over lunch. The good sides of her personality became ever more obvious, and ever more likable.

The absence caused by Lilly's trip to Scotland to visit her long-distant family and sick aunt only made me realize how much I like just being around her, and I had thought that she felt a similar way. For her, though, maybe that wasn't everything to our relationship.

Even after she returned to Japan, that just meant she lost her family once again after meeting them for such a brief time. She lived so much of her life without her family around, not to mention with Akira working long hours, which she had little choice to be like that.

I had thought her sense of independence to be a good and admirable trait. It was in stark difference to my reliance on my parents before my heart attack, as reluctant as I may have been to admit it. However, it also meant that she never let people get too close to her.

She lost her family likely due to her blindness, went to a different school from anybody she knew because of it, and worked all the harder to make sure she didn't end up a burden on her sister and those around her.

 _And now, Akira's going to Inverness, just like the family she thought she'd lost. She never told me of her plans, as conflicted as she was about them. Lilly didn't want to be a burden on anyone, including me. …I'm an idiot._

I rise from my bed and begin pacing. There has to be something I can do. She was there for me, I need to at least let her know somehow that I'm here for her. But how?

I could try calling her, but Lilly doesn't even have a phone.

I can't just let her leave though, I need to at least say something…

I feel something tugging at the edge of my mind, but it's just out of reach. Something I know that I should remember.

The nagging thought pulses at the back of my mind. I walk back and forth across the room trying to remember.

 _Ok Hisao, retrace. Lilly and Akira are leaving today… shit._ I walk over to my desk and look at the clock it's now 7:15 and I realize I have no idea when her flight is. _It's probably already gone._ Anger wells up inside me knowing that I probably fucked up the one relationship I've ever had and I slam the desk in front of me. "Damn it!" The desk shakes and several things fall off of it, but I don't care. I van feel my heart beating in my chest strongly and know I need to calm it down.

"Alright alright alright," I whisper to myself. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves, but it doesn't work. I ignore my heart and begin pacing once more.

 _So, let's assume she hasn't left the country yet. Where did she say she was staying until she left?_ I snap my fingers, remembering that her and Akira were staying at Shizune's and the nagging memory comes back. _I have no idea where Shizune lives though… except… I had seen Shizune's address just yesterday!_ I had helped her and Misha sorting files, and her address was on her file!

 _It's… it's… I don't remember it._

 _No._

 _NO!_

 _GOD DAMNIT!_

I slam my fist into the wall ahead of me, breaking through the fragile drywall

 **Lub-dub**


	8. Chapter 8: Final Day

**Chapter 8: Last Chance**

I gasp awake, my arms flying out from my sides. I grip the fine silk sheets and feel my eyes open, although it's more out of instinct than real purpose. I was born blind.

I can feel my breath slowly steading as I realize I'm in a bed, and it takes me a moment to remember that I lay in my cousin's guest room. I place my hand to my head and run it through my long hair, feeling the tangled mess. I try and remember my dream, but all I can remember is the faint sense of falling.

It figures. I've been having nightmares for weeks and I can never remember what they were about. It's frustrating, but it wouldn't do to just complain about it.

I can hear the faint sound of footsteps to my right, towards where I remember the door is. The person's gait has a sense of purpose, meaning it's not Hideki, but its lighter, meaning it's not my uncle Jigoro either. That means it's either Akira or…

I pull my covers up and lay my head back against the pillow, closing my eyes. While my cousin and I have been getting along more, I'm not too keen on the idea of attempting to converse with her this early. I hear the person approach the door, and they enter without even knocking. _Fitting that the girl who can't hear wouldn't_ -

"Lilly?" whispers Akira's rough voice.

I feel a blush twinge into my face at my assumption, but it must be hidden from view. I hear Akira enter into the room and approach the bed I lay on. Even knowing that it's Akira, I still don't want to get up, so I stay silent. My mind falls on the subject that it had spent all of last night on… Hisao.

Akira walks over to the foot of the bed and sits on it, and I can't help the bitter thought of wishing she was Hisao instead. If he had come into the room I would have leaped up from bed and thrown myself into his arms… but no. _I need to calm down_ , I think to myself. _I'm being unfair… but it's alright if I just do it in my mind, isn't it? Just for now,_ I decide. _I'm giving up more than enough, I think I'm entitled to a bit of moaning_.

Akira doesn't speak, and it just makes me want her to go away. I begin feeling guilty over my thoughts, I love my sister more than the world…

Slowly, Akira gets to her feet and approaches the head of the bed. She lets out a long sigh, still standing over me. "I'm so sorry Lill…" she whispers, and then walks out of the room. I feel guilt pang in my chest and allow myself a grimace as she leaves. It's my decision to go after all. She isn't forcing me.

I don't really want to get up still. I'm already all packed, and there's nothing to even do besides wait for the flight at 11:30 tonight. Our father booked a late flight so that we could get there before sunrise, saying that he and Akira had business to attend to come morning. Even on our first day, our father has need of her… It really speaks of how important she must be to the business.

 _You know you're not going to sleep more anyways, may as well get up._

I turn and raise the covers from myself, and swing my legs from the bed. I decide to make it later, wanting to get ready first. As I begin to feel my way towards my clothes that I had laid out, I hear footsteps in the hall once more. I turn as the door opens. "Hello," I bid to the person who enters the room.

They don't answer though, and I hear them step forward. I hear a knock on the dresser as the person approaches, and I feel them take my hand. I recognize it at once as Shizune's hand, and she deposits something with a handle into my own. I feel it with both hands and realize that it must be a brush as I run my hand through the bristles. "Thank you" I say, remembering that Shizune can read lips. She stands for a moment, and then places her arm on my shoulder. Soon after, she spins away and leaves.

I've been making a lot of bad assumptions today. Regret fills me as I realize that this is another relationship I'm leaving behind.

It doesn't take long for me to get ready, and once I dress I make the bed and leave the room. I attempt to navigate the house without using my cane, instead sliding my hand softly upon the wall towards the other guest room. I can hear Akira talking further down the hall.

"Yea, we'll be leaving around 11:30 here," said Akira. She pauses as she listens, and I head in her direction. "Well it says we'll get there around 3:30. No, I'm not happy about it either, Arthur, but that's how it is." I stop outside her doorway. Given that I can hear her voice unobstructed, her door must be open. She must be busy… Maybe I shouldn't bother her. "Well than take it up with _Hiroyuki_ , he picked the time!" Akira says our fathers name with venom in her voice. The name Arthur was familiar to me too, but I couldn't place it. "Yea yea… I know. Alright, well we'll see you around then. I bet the old man won't even be awake to welcome us. Yea? Ummmm, I'll bet however much 5,000 yen is in your currency. Pounds? Yea, well you figure it out, I have enough to do today. Yea yea, alright. See ya." I hear Akira snap the mobile phone shut, and she approaches the door. I knock on it, and feel the door push open before me. "Oh, Lilly. Hey, I was just going to come and wake you." Akira said to me with a hint of surprise.

"Yeah, I just woke up actually." I say. She comes closer to me, then backs away quickly.

"Bleh, have you not showered?" I frown, disapprovingly at her.

"Well I don't really know their… you know…" I say, trailing off.

"Oh, right. Guess it'd be kind of hard not knowing the bathroom. Well it's alright, you can just shower when we get home," she says brightly. I frown at her all the same.

"You know, it's not polite to comment on somebody like that. It's only been a day anyways, I'm sure I smell fine." I say scowling.

"Hehe, whatever you say, stinky," she says with a laugh. Before I can retort, she embraces me in a hug and I can't get myself to push off of her. "I'm only joking. You're fine." She breaks off the hug, but still holds my shoulders and I can tell she's staring at my face. I open my eyes, holding them open. I know people can be… uneasy talking to someone when they can't see their eyes. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me, you know that right?"

Slightly taken aback, I answer "Of course." She hugs me again, and then takes my hand in hers and begins pulling me away from the room. "Come on, we got a big day ahead of us!" She leads us through the hall and down the stairs. I don't really remember the layout, so having Akira lead me on is a boon.

"What do you mean, big day? I'm already packed and all," I tell Akira. She doesn't respond, but I hear her chuckle slightly. I feel her pace increase, "Come on, it'll be fun. Just trust your big sister for once!" I hear a door unlatch, and I feel the fresh new summer air come pouring into the air conditioned house. Akira tugs me alongside her

"Akira wait! I don't even have shoes!"

I sulked the entire car ride.

Not because Akira wouldn't tell me where we were going. I'm used to her keeping secrets and surprises.

As we stopped in front of our destination, Akira enthusiastically shouts, "We're here!"

"That's great Akira, but where exactly is here?" I respond.

"Oh quit being so negative, come on let's go!" With that, she opens up her car door and jumps out. I follow suit, stepping out tentatively with my bare feet. Akira dragged me bodily to the car against my protest. I feel the warm asphalt and sigh as I think how badly I'll need to shower after this. "Come on!" Akira shouts from up ahead, and I walk off of what I assume is a driveway onto a side walk. She reaches out and takes my arm, and as she leads I sense there's something familiar with where we are. I smell a flower patch to our right as we walk along, and Akira warns me of a step ahead of us.

 _If I stub my toes, I'll kill her,_ I think to myself.

Suddenly, she reaches down and takes my hand. "Here," she says softly. She guides it forward until it's just below face level, and I can feel the stone of a building. She raises it slightly, and I can feel something carved into the brick. It takes me a moment to realize there's more carvings, and my fingers trace through each, forming them in my mind.

The number _07_ is carved into the wall, and just under it, _Akira and Lilly Satou residence._

I can't really find the words to reply. This is the apartment we grew up in, the home that Akira and I shared for years. She had moved out of it into an apartment closer to work when I had moved to Yamaku. "How… Why does it still have our names on it?" I ask, this being the only thought I can form.

Akira chuckles almost sadly. "I kept paying the rent on it, I figured we might… you know. Need it again. Ms. Suzuki gave me a deal, and she seemed pretty sad when I told her we would be leaving."

Ms. Suzuki was the old woman that was our landlord. She was friends with our mother, and had almost taken us in when our family left. We paid next to nothing for rent, until Akira started insisting on it that is.

"Come on," she says, placing a guiding hand on my back. "Let's go inside." I hear the click of a lock as Akira turns the key, and we enter into our old home.

Instantly, a flood of memories pierces my mind. I remember that precisely 5 steps to my right is a wall that will lead to the kitchen, only 15 steps away. To my left is a stand with a bamboo plant that Akira was desperately trying to keep alive… or, she had been when we were still here. A quick pass over the space with my hand confirms my suspicion, the plant is gone. Akira sighs as she enters the room, and I hear her flop down onto what I presume is our old couch. "God, I'm going to miss this thing," she says.

"Akira…" I say, trailing off. I'm unsure of where to go with this without sounding resentful. With a pang, an unwanted thought about Hisao comes to mind. _He always wanted me to be straightforward_ , I think to myself.

"What's up, Lils?" She sounds unconcerned, and I can't help the feeling of resentment increase slightly. Perhaps I should just say it.

"Why did you bring us here?"

Silence. I can tell she's looking at me, but she must not know what to say. I tentatively step forward, unsure really myself of what to say. She breathes out a large sigh, making it easier for me to look at her. "I figured we should come and say goodbye," she mutters, seemingly unsure of herself in a very un-Akira way.

I walk forward, feeling the familiar carpet patterns on the bottoms of my feet. I reach out, touching the edge of the couch. I gently sit down next to her. _She's doing this with good intentions, just let it go_.

"Alright," I say, forcing a smile on my face as I turn to look at her. "I'd like that."

"Good!" I can hear her shift, but I stand up before she can place her arm around me. "I'm going to go see my old room," I say, swiftly walking in the memorized direction. I don't honestly want to be here.

I'd rather still be in my room at school, waking up next to the familiar breathing…

I feel the carpet give way to wooden floors as I make my way down the hallway to my bedroom. I'm reminded about how the dorms at school were compared to our apartment, which in truth was more of a home. After all, mother and father looked after us in at least one way.

I enter my bedroom, and the moment I close the door I just want to cry all over again. I spent so many night here wishing I could leave this place and be with our parents, but now that it's happening I don't want to go at all. I wish Hisao was here, even if he's still mad at me, even if he wants me to go, I wish I could throw my arms around him and just cry. _But that's not the Sato way, is it?_ Bitter thoughts creep into my mind, and I walk over to my bed and sit upon it. _I have to give up everything I have, and I can't even be sad about it._ I'm only getting more frustrated, so I lay back against the wall and try to relax.

 _I miss my family_ , I think to myself. _I miss mom and dad and all of us just being together. I miss mom reading to us when we went to sleep, I miss how being around dad always made me feel safe even though I couldn't see. Even though things felt different when we went to visit, that was probably because of our aunt's sickness. Things will be better. You've made the right choice_ , I tell myself.

I hear footsteps in the hallway, followed by a slight knock on the door. "Hey Lilly? It's me," Akira says, awkwardly. Why doesn't she just come in?

"The door is unlocked," I call out to her.

"Yea, well, my hands are kinda full. Can you get it?"

I resign myself to my fate, I will be strong and carry on for my family. Just as I always have. I get to my feet and walk towards the door, opening it.

"I got you something," Akira says. "Hold out your hand!"

I comply, and as she puts a cone shaped object into my hand, a drop of something cold splashes onto my bare foot. "Ice cream!" She seems to have recovered fairly well. I'm grateful to hear her sound much more like herself.

"Oh, well than you very much," I say, slightly bowing my head. "What flavor did you get me?"

"Nu-uh, no spoiling it! Take a lick!"

I try to smell the flavors, but Akira must have gotten different ones because there's a mix of smells in the air. I raise the ice cream to my lips and lick at it, and the taste makes me freeze.

"French Vanilla, you're favorite!"

I can't stop the tears from coming.

The ride home was… uncomfortable. Akira and I returned to the Hakamichi household in silence, and the moment we got back I went into the guest room and closed the door. I haven't come out since. I don't want to, I want to lay here forever and just sleep, but I can't get my mind off of Hisao. _What's he doing right now? Where is he_ , I wonder to myself. _Is he thinking about me? Does he even care anymore?_

I hear a knock on the door, and I realize I must have spaced out to not hear them approach. "Come in," I call, sitting up to face the door.

The door opens and someone enters the room. "Will you be joining us for dinner?" It's Hideaki, my little cousin.

"No, but thank you. I'm not feeling particularly hungry right now." It's true, I don't think I could stomach anything with how horrible I've been feeling today.

He pauses, as if unsure what to say, and I can hear him fidgeting. "Are you sure?" he finally asks. "It's a long flight back to Inverness."

"I am quite sure," I reply.

Another pause, more fidgeting.

"Why are you leaving?" he asks.

The unexpected question hits me, but what is stranger is the tone that he asks it in. It's almost as if he doesn't really care to know… Which must mean he wasn't the one to ask the question. _That's not fidgeting, its sign language_.

Anger courses through me as I realize that BOTH of my cousins are in the room, and they didn't care to tell me. "Tell Shizune that she very well knows why. I **have** to go," I say, emphasizing the venom in my voice. How dare she come in here and-

"She means, why are you leaving him?" All pretense of her not being in the room are gone now as he addresses her openly. I don't know how to answer, whether from the directness of Hideaki or from Shizune's question. "You know," he goes on, seemingly interested this time, "it's none of my business, but you really should ask yourself why." With that, I hear them both turn and walk from the room.

"I've asked myself that question more times than I can count," I mutter barely above a whisper.

The door closes, and fresh tears take hold in my eyes.

 _This is the last time_ , I promise to myself. _This will be the last time I cry_.

I turn and bury my face into the pillow, letting out sobs of sadness and frustration until I finally feel the pull of exhaustion and I slowly fall asleep.


	9. Chapter 9: The Dove takes flight

**Chapter 9: The Dove takes flight**

"Lilly."

A gentle and familiar voice permeates my mind. There is no sudden wakefulness that fills me, no last grasps of any sort of feelings of dreaming as I awaken to the sound and touch of my sister lightly shaking me as she sits on the bed next to me.

I groan slightly out of protest as I slowly come to. "Come on." Akira says. "It's time for us to leave. Jigoro has the car waiting for us."

I fight back the urge to groan again at the idea of a car ride with that man, and only barely succeed.

 _Akira's right_ , I think to myself. _It's time to finally be on our way._

I sit up, and can tell my hair must have gotten tangled again as I slept by the way it falls around my face and body. Akira lightly laughs as she stands up.

"Come here, you." She says as she walks off. Silently, I swing my legs over the edge of the bed. I can taste what tastes like soap in my mouth, but I know it's just from the light and disturbing sleep. Akira's feet thud against the carpet as she returns, and she begins working a comb through my long and untidy hair. "We can't let the old man see you with your hair like that, can we?"

"Heaven forbid." I say, more acidly than I meant to sound, but I don't honestly care enough to apologize. The comb catches in my hair, slightly tugging it. "Owch. Akira…"

"Sorry, sorry. I don't understand how you could ever maintain this thing, it's nearly to your waist, you know. Do you ever think about cutting it? It'd be easier to manage."

A sudden sensation goes through my mind. The feeling of hands running through my hair. Loving, caring hands.

"No, I like it like this." I reply shortly.

"Suit yourself. Here, I have your ribbon." I lean forward and she ties my hair back in its usual pony tail. My bangs fall into my face, one lightly brushing against my closed eye lid. Akira brushes my hair to the sides around my face, but allows for the few pieces to still frame my as they usually do.

"Are you going to wear that, or will you be changing into another outfit?" Akira asks.

"This is fine." I say.

"Alright then. Let's get going."

"One moment. Can you please grab my necklace out of my bag?"

"Oh, I didn't even notice… Sure, Lils." She stands up and walks over to the spot where my luggage lays.

"It should be in the front pocket."

She finds it with apparent ease, and comes back. "You know, I don't even remember the last time I saw you with this off." She says, handing it to me.

"I take it off to sleep, but I just haven't felt like putting it on until now."

I wrap the cool metal chain around my neck and feel the cold metal of the cross between my collarbones.

"Okay. I'm ready."

After assisting me with my luggage, Akira rides along in the back seat of my uncle's car with me. Jigoro himself has decided to 'grace' us with his presence as the driver, while both of my cousins stayed behind. They hadn't even come to say goodbye to us, although I guess that's as much as I can expect from Shizune, who's so bitter about anybody choosing what to do for themselves instead of listening to her, and Hideaki, who had probably spent most of the day with Akira already and figured what happened earlier was as good as a goodbye to me.

 _What do I care?_ I think to myself. _I already said goodbye to my family here._

Most of the ride passes, thankfully, in silence. Akira and I sit in the back of the car close to one another, with her holding my hand.

Only after a while, though, do I think about how odd this is. My uncle is many things, a quiet man is not one of them. The silence feels… unnatural.

"Uncle Jigoro?" I speak up, intending to ask him a question, but Akira silences me by squeezing my hand tightly.

"Yes?" He asks from the front, and Akira lets out a sigh.

It's then that I realize that the silence is a manufactured one. I quickly fill in the blanks of why the two fiery personalities might be avoiding speaking to one another. _They'd been fighting_.

"Nothing. Please, forget I spoke." I say, but I already know that it must be too late.

"No, go on Ms. Satou." Jigoro nearly spits the name. "Please, speak your mind."

"Uncle-" Akira tries to cut in.

"Silence!" Jigoro shouts, and Akira recoils into her seat. "I will pull this car over and you will walk to the airport if you interrupt again, Akira Satou. Lilly, speak." He orders.

Trapped, my mind searches for any question possible to not set him off.

"I was wondering," I quickly lie, "What you and your family will be doing for the summer?"

"We will be going on a vacation, and attending a Tanabata festival." He replies shortly and honestly. He couldn't possibly know the meaning to me, but Akira must have noticed me react in some way because she squeezed my hand. "I have been hoping to talk to you today, actually." He starts. I hear Akira open her mouth, but this time it's me who silences her. I try my best to shoot her a look, something I've more had described to me in books and stories than in practice, but she seems to understand.

"Yes, Uncle?"

"What is your opinion on this?" He asks. "My brother in law has called you to return to his home, his family, after so long a time, and both of you accept as if he had not left you here to fend for yourselves. You know, not even your aunt Mayoi was asked to care for you?"

"We didn't need her help" Akira whispers under her breath, but Jigoro seems not to hear her.

"You father, Hiroyuki Satou, is a coward. He has always been, and always will be. Even you, Akira, cannot fight me on this."

Akira is shaking, but keeps silent. I cannot tell if it is out of rage though, because there were nights when we were young that she spoke much the same.

"The things he has done… He is lucky that Mayoi loved the both of you, or I would have turned you onto the streets, and cared so little as to not even mention it in my autobiography."

"WE NEVER NEEDED-" Akira starts, but is interrupted by the screeching of breaks as the both of us are thrown forward against our restraints.

An uncomfortable silence takes over the car as outside people begin blaring their horns.

"The airport is a twenty minute walk from here." A loud *chunk* pierces the quiet as the doors to the car unlock. "You better start walking now if you wish to make your flight."

"Uncle plea-" but

"Fine!" Akira states." Let's go Lill. Pop the trunk, Jigoro."

Before I can further protest, she opens the door and her fingers fall from mine, and she slams it shut behind her.

"Uncle…" I start, but I don't know what to say.

"You will understand. You have never lived with your father, but he is no man. Your Aunt could have attested to that." Jigoro says. Before I can ask what he means, my door is opened and Lilly reaches in to take my arm.

"Goodbye, girls." Jigoro says before the door slammed closes.

"Fuck you." Akira mutters, before gruffly taking my hand. "Come on, Lilly. Let's go."

We walk in silence as I try to wrap my head around what just happened, but even then I feel distracted. My arm is wrapped around hers, and I can tell that she's fuming. I want to address her severe language, but I also know that she's at her boiling point right now and it will bubble over if she's pushed. Even by me.

 _She's giving up a lot too, after all…_

Akira wheels my suitcase behind us as we walk, and I assume she has her own bag along with it. She always insisted on leaving that stuff to her, and I honestly have always appreciated it. It's something I grew to appreciate in Hisao as well, when he carried our groceries. My mind flicks back to him, wondering what he's doing at this very moment, and it quickly becomes easy to ignore the growing crowd around us.

I try picture him lying in his room, but something feels off… I find myself hoping he's alright. For some reason, a growing sense of unease has taken ahold of me. As much as I am trying to picture him lying still, breathing easily in his sleep, I simply can't, and a part of me just knows that that can't be the truth.

"Akira?" I ask, hearing the shake in my own voice. She must have heard it too, because she stops and I can feel her shift as she looks at me.

"What? What's wrong?" she asks, concerned.

"It's just… What do you think Hisao is doing right now?"

"Oh. He's probably reading, or something. Maybe he's with Hanako. You want to give her a call?"

"No… No, she might be sleeping. What time is it?"

"It's just past 11pm."

"No. I'm sure everything's alright and I'm just worrying. I'll call her when we land."

"Ugggghhhh." Akira groans. "It's supposed to be 3am by the time we get there. I hate flying, so I'll be up the whole ride. It's a 14 hour flight… At least we'll be in first class, you won't mind if I drink right?"

"Hmmm," I say, smiling. "Only if you don't get me something as well."

She laughs and we start walking again. Just like that, after a few moments, both of us seem to have lost a lot of tension, which I am extremely thankful for. I'm suddenly aware of all of the voices surrounding us, and realize we must be near the airport. It seems extremely busy for the time of night, but all the same we continue on.

As we get closer and closer to the gate, the amount of people seems to steadily increase. I've never really admitted to anyone, but I really dislike crowds of people. There's so many voices, and due to my blindness I have an advanced sense of hearing. It's hard to tune out so many conversations… I can hear people talking in all sorts of languages, and it's almost a sensory overload.

At one point, a man brushes past Akira and I whilst loudly shouting into what I can only assume is a cellular phone. I find myself concentrating on that man as he walks past us and away from us, loudly bumping and bustling into people as he went. _What a rude man…_

In a moment, I feel the fresh air conditioning of the airport, and know we just crossed the border. _There's no turning back now_.

After some time, Akira and I finally make our way to the plane. The baggage checker seemed happy to hold our flight for us for a few minutes in order for us to make our way there. Part of me wished she had simply told us 'you're too late, go home and come back another day.' But no. The Satou name seems to pull weight even here.

As we walk down the terminal and into the plane, the group of people seems to lessen and lessen, until it is just Akira and I walking. Outside, I can hear the howling of the wind against the thick glass of the terminal.

They say that a plane can be brought down by any amount of circumstances. Turbulence is a common factor, and lightning strikes planes all the times, but rarely does it ever cause issue. More often it's a mis-manufactured mechanical part that finally falls flat. A screw comes loose in the engine, a bolt falls off of a wing. Air travel is usually safe, but the feeling of unease I had earlier has yet to fade. The urge to call Hisao is strong in me… even if it's just to say goodbye.

"Akira, wait." I say, stopping us.

"What's up? The planes about 40 feet from us, and one of the ushers is waving us forward." She says, but she patiently stops to explain anyways.

"I need to call Hisao. Something's not right, I just can't… I don't know. This isn't supposed to be happening."

 _Get ahold of yourself. You're having a panic attack_.

I ignore the voice in my head though, and feel my breath catch as Akira lets go of my arm. "Akira?"

"Hang on," she replies. "I'm grabbing my phone."

I hear the zipper of her carry on case unzip, and feel myself marginally relax.

"We'll be just a moment." She says loudly in English, addressing the boarding assistant.

"Of course, Ms. Satou." I hear a male voice reply obediently, and place his accent as British. A disconnected part of me wonders how he knew our name, and how he was okay with us making the whole plane wait so long.

"Here," Akira says, taking my hand in hers, and deposits a cellular phone into it. My fingers skate over the unfamiliar keys, quickly committing their placement to memory.

I've never been the best with numbers, but I was easily able to commit Hisao's number to memory after he had called on me in Scotland. I had my mother read off the caller ID, and my slight precaution was already proving to be a boon.

I dial the number quickly, and the phone rings once before a voice comes on the line.

"Hello, you've reached Hisao Nakai. I cannot answer my phone at the moment, so please leav-"

I flip the phone shut, silencing the machine, and proceed to open it up and dial it again.

"Lilly…" Akira says, as the phone goes to voicemail again.

 _She can wait. They all can wait._

The beep signals the start of the message, and I take a deep breath before slowly speaking into the phone.

"Good evening Hisao. Or, rather, morning, since you likely won't get this message until you awaken. It's Lilly. But I'm sure you already knew that. Akira and I are about to leave on our flight… I just… needed to call you. I'm sorry. I hope everything is going well. If you ever need to reach me about anything, anything at all, this is Akira's personal cell phone. Call this, or the number I gave you for our home. Even if you don't have any reason, please. It'd be… nice, to hear from you. Goodbye, Hisao."

With that, I flip the phone closed, and hand it back to Akira. I feel my eyes tearing up, but I remember my vow and blink in an attempt to clear them.

"Come on, Lills." Akira takes my arm in hers. "I'll be with you every step, just like always."

"Of course." I say back to her. After all, we're sisters. And sisters would do anything for one another.

The cushioned seat of the first class flight is extremely nice, and does help alleviate the stress and worry that seem to be bearing down on me, although only slightly. I still feel that something is wrong.

"Hey," Akira says, and I can hear her leaning from her own seat over to my own and taking my hand. "Would you like a drink? You seem pretty tense."

"Don't they not serve until take-off?" I ask in return.

Akira scoffs at that, and I hear a little ding as she presses the attendant button.

In a moment, I hear a female voice coming from the center aisle.

"Can I help you two? We'll be taking off shortly."

"Yea, can we get two drinks? I'll take a beer and my sister here…"

"I'll have some wine please." I reply. I may as well, as long as Akira is…

"Well, madams, we actually don't serve anythi-"

"Migumi!" cuts in a harsh voice. I recognize it as the same voice of the boarding agent. "Excuse me, Ms. is there any issue here?" I can tell he has moved close, and must be standing right next to the attendant.

"Not at all," Akira says. "We were just ordering drinks."

"Ah, of course. Right away, we will give you contained cups to ensure they do not spill during takeoff." The man replies hastily, and judging by the direction he seems to be bowing.

"But sir, I haven't even checked them for IDs." The woman, Migumi, says back to the man.

"The SATOU sisters are to receive anything that will make their flight more comfortable." He growls at her, emphasizing our last name. "Do you understand?" The tone of his voice makes it apparent the last section is an order rather than a question.

After a moments silence, she replies. "Yes sir, right away, sir." And I can hear her feet as she quickly walks away.

"I apologize about Migumi," the man says, and I can tell he is bowing again.

"Oh, it is really is no issue…" I say, feeling bad for the young woman. "She wasn't wrong…"

"Your kindness shames us." He says, bowing even lower. "I will ensure this does not happen again.

Before I reply that it really is not a problem, Akira cuts in. "See that it doesn't," is all she says, and I hear the man walk away after an affirmation.

"Akira!?" I say, rounding on her. "That was very rude of you!"

Akira says nothing for a moment, and in the background I can hear a man asking if he can get a can of beer too. The man tells him he will have to wait until we are at cruising altitude.

"She would receive a harsher punishment if we were kind to him." Akira finally states. "Just… trust me on this Lilly. People who know who we are, and believe me that guy knows, it's better to just let them think we're above it all."

"Well that seems rather dark…" I say, pouting at her. "I'm not going to change my mannerisms just because of our name, I hope you know."

"It's more than that… just trust me, okay Lilly?"

"You seem to be asking for that a lot today." I retort.

I hear high-heeled footsteps coming back up the aisle. "I have your cups." Migumi says in a polite tone.

"Thank you very much," I say, outstretching my hand. She puts a Styrofoam cup into it, and I can feel the liquid slosh around and am thankful for the lid. "You're very kind for doing this for us, we've had a long day."

"Lilly-"

"In fact," I continue, unabashed. "My sister would like to give you a tip for your services. Isn't that right Akira?"

"Oh," the attendant begins. "That's not ness-"

"Please. On behalf of the Satou family."

Akira grumbles, but complies, and I hear her pass the bank notes to the waitress.

"Enjoy your evening. I may need another glass once we reach cruising level."

"Yes, of course Ms. Satou. Thank you." Migumi says, quietly.

"Please, call me Lilly." I reach my hand out and she takes it in her own, giving it a squeeze. She has soft, unwrinkled hands. She must be very young, perhaps this is even her first job.

She walks away and Akira grumbles next to me. _She'll get over it._

For the first time in a long while, I feel collected and truly myself as I lean back in my chair and begin to sip on my wine.

Shortly after we took flight, I got the carry-on bag from Akira and withdrew one of the books I brought along for the flight. Migumi has been very attentive on us, and I'm already on my third glass of wine. Akira and I haven't spoken, but that's fine with me as she's going to act in the manner which she has.

I had just begun to think about how hungry I was feeling when we were asked what we would like for an in-flight dinner. Given that I couldn't read the menu, I had Migumi dictate it to me, and ordered a pasta dish, as well as a fourth glass.

Part of me knew I was in danger of overdoing it, but the reality of the situation is that I simply do not care. I'm giving up everything for this, I'll forgive myself for indulging tonight.

Hours went by as our plane hurried against the rotation of the world. At one point, I began to doze off, the feeling of fullness from the rather large pasta dish as well as the inebriation were catching up to me. Not being able to look at a clock had its upsides, and before I even realized we were making our descent towards a stop along the path.

We had to make a single stop in Paris, but Akira and I were permitted to simply stay in our seats as other passengers switched about or left. Apparently Migumi had also departed at the Paris stop, because a new flight attendant, this one male, seemed to take us under his care for the rest of the flight.

It wasn't too long after that until we began our final landing, and we arrived in Inverness. The captain relayed to us that we arrived slightly ahead of schedule due to good weather conditions throughout the flight, and wished us all a goodnight.

It had been nearly 11 hours since Akira and I had spoken to one another, and she didn't exactly seem to be in a talking mood whilst we departed.

"Come on, Arthur will be grabbing our bags and waiting for us, he said he'd be checking up in case we were early or late." She says, and instantly begins walking. I follow the sound of her walking alongside all of the others around us, for lack of her guiding hand as well as my cane. I remember the airport well enough though, and found no other issue to impede me.

 _I'm not about to allow you this petty victory, no matter how mad you may be I will not apologize for being myself._

However, within a few minutes, I could hear her drop back and she places her hand on my back. I smile at her, to which point I hear her let out a bark of laughter and I feel myself laughing along as well.

"Come on, little sister. Arrivals should be just out here." The fresh outside air came from up ahead, and the constant noise of the din of people was concentrating there as we made our way forward. "I'll call Arthur and let him know we're here." says Akira, and she shifts her body as she goes through her pockets for her phone.

There's a small jingle as her phone starts up as we finally reached the outside. Breathing deeply, I'm extremely thankful for the welcome, clean scent after the long flight.

"Huh… I have a few missed calls." Akira says, sounding puzzled.

"Did Hisao call you back?" I ask. The feeling that had evaded me earlier slammed back like a truck, and instantly I could feel the sobering tension in my shoulders take over. It had to be around 10am back in Japan right now, and he was sure to be awake by now.

"No… It doesn't look like it. I've gotten 4 from Hanako though, and one from your school… Hang on."

As if by fate, the faint sound of sirens began piercing the air. Akira probably couldn't even hear it, but to me they were as loud as if they were screaming directly in front of us.

"Akira?" I ask, my mouth suddenly dry. My hand goes to the cross tied around my neck.

"I said hang on. They both left voicemails, I'm getting them now."

The sirens came closer to the arrivals zone, and apparently other patrons of the airport began to take notice. Car horns could be heard closing from the distance now.

"What?" Akira says to herself. "That doesn't make any sense…"

"What doesn't?" I ask, a cold sweat taking over.

"Hanako sounds almost hysteric, I can't understand her... Something's going on, hang on the school one's playing now."

 _What could possibly be wrong? Hanako has been doing better than ever now, and she seemed accepting of my needing to leave…_

The vehicle must have pulled in right ahead of us, as the sirens blared loudly before being cut off.

English voices began shouting to clear the way as the crew disembarked. Behind us, through the interior door, I could also hear shouting, but it wasn't all English voices.

'Heart attack,' a voice was shouting frantically in Japanese.

A familiar, hysteric voice.

"Oh my god…" whispered Akira.


	10. Chapter 10: The flight of the Bumblebees

**Chapter 10: Flight of the bumblebees**

 ***15 hours earlier***

All it had took was one swing. One punch, one fiery moment of rage and self-hatred, and I had firmly planted my fist in the wall.

I stared at it, dumbfounded that the action had actually taken place. I'm slightly amazed at the lack of pain, but only for an instant as I double over, my free hand clutches at my chest. A sudden heat screams in my chest as my elevated heart beat sends the wounded heart thumping rapidly. I shut my eyes against the pain, flexing my chest and feeling the pull of every muscle in my body as it tries to focus on not dying.

Through the pain, I hear a slam out from the hallway, and much louder BANG against my door.

 _Stop it! You can control this! Calm the fuck down!_

Another BANG

I force air into my lungs at a steady pace, and can feel tension slowly ebbing out of my body. My heart rate must have not been that elevated, because I can already feel it coming down, which is all the more worrisome given that someone's trying to bust in.

It must be Kane, he must have heard on patrol and is coming-

CRASH

The door flies open, slamming into the opposite wall. The light from the hallway silhouettes the form of a slender guy, scarf flowing, as he tosses what looks like a battering ram aside and darts into the room.

"Assassin!" Screams Kenji, who comes forward while reaching into his over shirt's pocket.

 _Oh god, here we go_

"Kenji," I say through gritted teeth. "I am not an assassin. It's Hisao. This is my room."

Kenji's whole body freezes. He stands completely still, and for a moment he looks as if he was made from stone. Then, with a leap, he pounces backwards into the threshold.

"Let light look upon you, killer!" he shouts, and with a swift motion he slide his hand up the wall on the opposite side of the light switch.

"It's the other side, Kenji."

"Aha! I see you've studied you plan of attack!" With a flourish, he twists his hand up the other wall, eyes still locked on me. I can only stare and I realize that my chest no longer hurts.

Part of me wishes it'd start back up and claim me.

The light flicks on in the room.

"Oh, it is you. What's up, dude?"

Kenji relaxes his stance, standing up straight and taking his hand out of his pocket, only to place it against his hip as he grins.

"Hi Kenji." I say, rolling my eyes. "You kinda broke my door down."

"Yea, and it's a good thing I did!" he exclaims. "If I hadn't shown up, an assassin- why are you standing so weird?" He asks, interrupting himself.

It takes me a moment to realize that my hand is still stuck into the wall. I try to tug on it, but the drywall seems to dig into my fist and it hurts. "Ow, shit." I mutter to myself. Kenji comes up behind me.

"Oh, looking for recording devices?" He asks.

"Yea," I reply bitterly. "Lilly's left, and I'm making sure she hasn't bugged my room."

"Oh, don't worry man. I checked it last week after you guys left it last time! I didn't go into the walls, but I used my bug spray to make sure she didn't leave nothing!" He goes into his uniforms other shirt pocket, and pulls out what looks like a can of actual bug spray, with a lightning bolt striking what looks like a cockroach.

As much as I'd like to ask how he got in my room, I want my hand out of the wall even more. "Here, given me a hand with this." I say, tugging on my arm.

He comes over and together we pull it. The drywall scratches at my fist, but with Kenji pulling as well it pops free in a moment.

Resisting the small urge to swing it into his face, I blow air onto the fist, and pat his shoulder with it. "Thank you, Kenji."

"Oooh, you put a nice little hole in your wall." He says, my gesture going unnoticed. "Do you want some patch up stuff? I've had to put back a few pieces of my own. You know, bad days."

"Yea… I know bad days…" I say, looking at the fist sized chunk.

"Hey, what's the matter with you? You look depressed." I look at him and he's about four inches from my own face, his beady eyes squinting through his glasses.

A look of horror crosses his face. "You didn't let her take it, did you!?"

"What are you talking about?" I say, the irritation in my voice palpable.

"The Welsh woman!" He says incorrectly. "She took it, didn't she? She took it and left with it and now she's gone with it!"

"Gone with what? Kenji, what the hell are you on about?"

"Your youness! I dated a woman once, and she took my myness away, and now you've fallen into the same pit trap! Is she already gone? Did she fly or is she driving?"

"I'm pretty sure she's flying… It'd be hard to drive to the UK from here." I say sarcastically.

In true Kenji fashion, it falls right off of him. "No, maybe she's been talking with that other whale woman… Jonhana, or something."

"Kenji, she's flying." _Direct response get direct results_ , I remember.

"Oh, when? We can't just let her leave with your youness! We have to get it back!"

He brings up an interesting point… I don't actually know what time her flight was. She might still not even be gone. She could even be at Shizune's, still packing. "I don't know," I tell him truthfully.

"Well then, let's go get it back!" He exclaims, and turns and starts walking out the door.

"Wait a second, where are you going?"

"Where else would you go to see if a person has left on an airplane yet? The airport!"

The simplicity of it catches me off-guard, and I feel like an idiot for not thinking of it myself. I grab my cellphone and key off of the table by my door, and book it after Kenji, leaving everything else behind. "Kenji, wait up!"

"Alright, we're here. That'll be 3,557.06 yen."

Kenji is out the door before the cab driver is done speaking, and I curse at him under my breath as I withdraw my wallet.

"You're a student, yea?" The cab driver asks. I look up to see him staring intently into the review mirror. "Your friend seemed to think you've got more than enough to cover." He says, referencing the open door. I look out to see Kenji marching into the front doors with no hesitation.

"Yea… He's like that. Sorry." I tell the cab guy, a bit abashed. The ride here had been a relatively quiet one, and we made it before 8:30.

"You know what, let's call it 3,000 even. Student discount."

It's not much, but it's enough to make me smile a bit as I withdraw the payment.

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate that." I tell him as I hand him the payment. He nods and I exit the car with exactly 600 yen in my wallet.

I go after Kenji, entering through the electric doors I saw him go through. He's standing in the entrance squinting at all the passers-by until he recognizes me and steps up, grabbing me my the arm and tugging me to the side.

"Here, the terminals here list all the international flights and times. What airport is she landing at? Do you know the flight number? Even the airline would probably do."

It dawns on me that I know neither of these things, having been so bitter with her as to not even ask her flight number… _She must think I don't even care to check if she lands alright._

I stare ahead at the terminals, looking instead for the city.

Inverness.

I scroll through them, listed in alphabetical order.

F… G… H… I!

There's two flights for Inverness today! And one hasn't left yet! _Yes! Okay, now what time…_

Where elation had lifted me, the misery of realization sinks me further still.

Solemnly, I stare at the departcher/arrival times of both planes. One of them had left at 2:30pm, and would be arriving in Inverness at 3am, which the board listed would be 7pm for their local time.

The other, which hadn't left yet, didn't leave until 11:30, and wasn't supposed to arrive till noon tomorrow, which would be 4am in Inverness.

 _There's no way Lilly would be on that plane. She's moving back into her family home, they must be on the one that already left… Her parents probably have a party set up for her and Akira. "The daughters return." God damn it. She's gone._

"She's gone." Hearing it out loud makes my stomach twist even worse. The urge to swing something, to throw a punch, grows within me, but I force it down, balling my fist instead. I almost feel like crying.

I notice the silence from Kenji, and turn to try and confide in him, only to notice that he's walked off. Confusion takes prime spot as my emotional state, and I quickly spot him speaking with a man that's standing at a small desk off to the side of the main passage way.

Walking over, I hear the man ask "Is there anything else I can help you with, Mr. Setou?"

"No, Hoshiro, that's all. Thanks."

 _Does Kenji know this guy?_

"Hey, man." Kenji says as I walk up.

"She's gone, Kenji." There's nothing else to say.

"Well then, we're pretty lucky that today is today, and not tomorrow, then. Come on!"

Before I can ask him what the hell he's talking about, Kenji seizes my arm and firmly pulls me along beside him. Looking back, I see the man, Hoshiro, grinning embarrassedly as he waves.

"What was that about? Where are we going? Let go, I can walk myself." I pull my arm out of his grasp, but he continues forward without acknowledging my question until we reach a door marked Staff Only. Kenji goes into his pants pocket, pulling out a wallet, out of which he takes a card and slides it through a card checker. The door beeps, with the checker flicking from red to green, and Kenji pulls it open and leads me through.

"Do you work here?" I ask, incredulously.

"Shh, shut up. Follow my lead." He says simply, and I just fall into step.

"Good evening Mr. Setou." Says a woman in a blue top and skirt, who I assume must be a flight attendant. Kenji just keeps walking, ignoring the greeting, and I follow along beside him.

"Hey, Kenji. Good to see you. On escort duty again?" Asks a man that's pushing a load of baggage.

"Yup." Kenji replies, not even turning.

We walk on for a few more minutes until we reach a door marked 'Pilot's lounge.'

"Alright," he says, finally turning to me. "Don't speak unless spoken to, don't stare into his eyes, and for God's sake fix your hair." He says, while running his hands through his own. I raise my hand to my hair and sort of pat it, more amazed by Kenji's odd behavior. "I know she stole your youness, so I get why you look like a lost puppy, but you have to put on a face for right now. Alright? Alright. Thank Christ you're still in uniform."

Kenji opens the door and the scent of cigarettes washes out of the room. Inside are four men, all in various positions around the room. Two of them are leaning against a center table, smoking, whilst another is sitting on a plush leather chair drinking what looked like whiskey. The fourth man, who Kenji approaches, is in full uniform, sitting on a couch to the side, reading a magazine. He wears a pair of blue slacks, and a blue pilot's jacket with gold buttons. On his head is a black captain's hat, with a golden insignia on the front that I don't recognize. He wears a pair of golden reading spectacles over his eyes, and his face is lined with age. He has to be over 50 years old.

"Good evening, father." Kenji says as he approaches.

The man lowers his magazine and looks over towards us. He looks over his spectacles for a moment, looking slightly confused.

"Kenji?" He asks. "I didn't think I would see you until I picked you up tomorrow. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

I notice that the other men in the room are not paying the slightest bit of attention to us. The two that are smoking are laughing and joking about, and the pilot with the drink sits whilst staring ahead, oblivious to the world.

"This is my friend, Hisao. I told you about him."

I snap back to attention as the man looks me over, and he smiles warmly. "It's good to meet you, Hisao. Kenji tells me that you're hall mates, and he's told me what a wonderful friend you are." He bows slightly, and I find myself doing the same.

"Y-Yes sir." I reply, stuttering. The man's gaze is friendly and warm, but Kenji's worry earlier has put me on edge.

"So, what can I do for you two gentlemen?" Mr. Setou asks.

"Hoshiro told me you're chartered for London tonight, is that right?" Kenji asks. His tone is different, I notice, while talking to his father. More formal that the Kenji I'm used to, he sounds posh.

"Yes, I will be. Why do you ask?"

"Would you be able to take us along, and make a stop on the way back?"

 _Oh. Oh god damn it._

"Kenji," I start, but Mr. Setou quiets me himself with a hand wave.

"What exactly for?" he asks.

"Hisao's girlfriend left earlier today on a plane heading for-"

"Scotland. Inverness, specifically." I cut in before he can say something completely off like South Africa.

Mr. Setou gives me a sideways glance. "Ah, so it's a love story. Shame you didn't catch her here. Do you intend to ask her to return with us?"

I hadn't honestly thought that over. I thought I might never see her again, and here was this family that seemed to be about to take me to Scotland. Scotland! I've barely ever been outside the city, let alone the country!

I shake my head. "No. If she wants to go, then she should. But I need to tell her something. She's done so much for me, shouldered such a burden, and it took me until now to realize that. I need to apologize to her."

Mr. Setou smiles at me. "That's a good answer. I like that." He stands up to his full height, only slightly above myself. "Tell me, Hisao, do you have a passport?"

 _Here comes the disappointment_.

"No sir… I don't."

Mr. Setou strokes his chin, thoughtfully. "You know, young man, you're quite lucky that my son has spoken so highly of you. That, and that I am the owner of the plane." He laughs, an infectious sound that raises my spirit. "I suppose that will do. We have no more scheduled flights after London, and I was going to need to fly to Inverness in the morning regardless to pick up some VIPs. Politicians," he said, rolling his eyes, "that can't decide whether or not Scotland should be independent from the UK. We can take you along. As long as you are on the plane back come next morning."

My heart soars. "Thank you so much sir. I really appreciate this."

"Ahahah, hang on a moment. Now, I have done this before, but the actions we will be taking aren't exactly legal." He pulls me in closely. "Most of the time, family and friends are given a special pass on these sorts of things, but you cannot go rubbing it into anyone's face. Understand? If anyone asks, you're the son of a Japanese official going to observe British politics, and you'll just "happen" to fall asleep before we receive our destination. The other passengers aren't to know. Half of them don't speak Japanese anyways. How is your English?"

I cringe, which he laughs at. "I hope you know enough to find your girl then. Whether or not you're on the plane, we are leaving at noon local time. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." I say, nodding my head.

He smiles. "I have a soft spot for love. If Mrs. Setou were still here, she'd never let me turn you away. After all-"

"Thanks dad," Kenji interrupts. "I'm going to take Hisao to the plane so he can get settled before the flight."

Kenji quickly grabs my arm and begins leading me away. A quick glance over my shoulder shows Mr. Setou chuckling as he picks his magazine back up and sits back against the couch.

"Kenji." I say, planting my feet once we exit the room. "Why didn't you just tell me what you were doing?"

He tugs on my arm, still trying to lead me down the passageway. "Do you honestly think you'd have gone along with it if I did?" he says. "Besides, I owe you."

Part of me wonders if he means for that pizza, but I keep silent because I don't think I honestly want to hear that that's the reason. I start walking along with him, and the further we get from the staffroom, the less tense he seems to become. He lets out a sigh as we turn down another hallway, and we continue on walking.

As we walk, multiple members of the staff greet Kenji. Many of them he simply ignores, but I notice that there are a few that he inclines his head to and mummers a greeting in return. It makes me wonder just what how much sway his father must have for all of these people to recognize his student son.

Finally, we reach a door that is covered in red markings and printed at the top-center in big bold letters is the word, ' **CAUTION'**.Beneath that is printed 'You are exiting the terminal onto the tarmac. Please be wary of your surroundings.' Kenji fishes into his pocket and scans the same card that I saw him use earlier, and the door pops open. Through the threshold is the sweet scent of fresh air, and the roaring sound of giant engines.

"Come on, just follow me." Kenji says, and strides confidentially out the door. I hurriedly follow along, probably appearing much less confident.

The roaring of the airliners is more than a little off putting, but I must admit that they are quiet the spectacle. Giant man-made birds slowly move along the tarmac, crawling forward in a slow and unstoppable manner. I have never been on an airplane, never even seen one this closely in person, and the realization of just how small I am really takes hold as not even ten of me stacked end on end could reach the top of these metal beasts.

To my right, I see work crews working in hangers on the nearest plane, scattered all across it like ants. To the left, Kenji is walking towards a strip of road that is much too small to be for the planes. I speed after him, and ahead I can see another section of hangers, as well as what appears to be a separate run-way.

As I catch up to him, Kenji is excitedly talking. "-like this before flying. We normally take the passengers by car, but I can't drive yet so we'll have to walk."

Yet is the word that sticks in my brain, as I remember that this is the guy who thought I was an assassin in my own room this same night.

Kenji raises his hand and I see that it's shaking slightly. "See? Nervous, heh." He laughs. "I just haven't logged enough hours yet. Dad says it all comes with time."

Slowly, I piece together what he said. "Wait, you mean you're flying?!"

"Nah, co-piloting. I couldn't do it all myself, the landing and takeoff are more manual, but most everything else is computerized now. In a few years, even those processes will be automated!"

I feel my own hands start to shake. "So, you dad is going to pilot us? How long has he been-"

"Oh he's been at this forever. My grandfather was a pilot too. 'Aviation is in our blood,' dad says. Of course, Grandpa flew a military plane, and the airliners are much different."

A quick flash of Kenji in a Japanese Zero enters my mind, unwillingly. I force myself not to ask what happened to Grandpa, and just hope beyond hope that it's not the fate that I suspect.

We walk along the side road towards the separate building, and I quickly realize it is bigger than I had thought, instead containing three separate hangers. There are people slowly patrolling the area, and one of them seems to take notice of us as a man approaches.

Kenji identifies himself to the guard as the co-pilot for "Setou private airlines," and shows the man his ID card. The man withdraws a pocket scanner and swipes the card. After a moment, he clears us for passage, but not before requesting we use transportation next time so as to appear not suspicious. Kenji just nods and walks along, and I follow.

We enter into the nearest hanger, where three much smaller planes are sitting. Whereas the ones we saw earlier made me think of monsters, these were much more sleek and pointed. They could probably fit around twenty people in the passenger spots instead of the hundred or so the others. It was like comparing a hawk to a flying pig, and I feel a much less stressed around these.

Kenji leads us up towards the nearest plane, which is entirely black. I notice that there are no identifying marks on the plane, and I determine that this must be for the clienteles' privacy.

A man in a black suit is sitting in a chair while reading a newspaper next to the plane looks up as our feet echo through the hanger. "Ahh, Mr. Setou. I wasn't aware you'd be accompanying us. You're about a half hour early." He says, standing and folding the paper

"Yes, I'll be co-piloting. My father sent me to escort Mr.… Takahashi." He says, and inclines his head towards me.

The man nods his head, knowingly. "Ah, I understand." He turns and sets the paper on the chair, and walks to the side of the plane. He slides back a panel and presses and holds a button, which causes a section of the plane begin to open outwards. Slowly, a staircase mechanically descends.

Once the stairs finally stop folding out, Kenji nods to the man and him and I enter into the plane. It's a bit smaller than I had expected, giving just about a foot of head room as I follow Kenji to the right and through a small curtain.

Inside the cabin are 16 cushioned seats, and in the back is a curtain.

"Bed's back there if you need it," Kenji says, pointing to the back of the plane. "The seats are comfortable enough, but first comers get dibs. The bathroom is the door right where we came in. Anything else, hit this little picture of the helper above the seat and our flight attendant will come and help you."

I sigh as I sit down in one of the seats. The plushness of them is all enveloping, it feels like sitting on a comfy bed. There's even a pillowed section on the head that I wouldn't be surprised to find had actual feathers in them.

Kenji still stands in the aisle, staring at me. "You ever flown before?"

"No, not really." I reply truthfully.

"Hang on." He says, and walks towards the front of the plane. I look out the window into the hanger. The orange of the setting sun gives the sense of peace, even though I can still feel bits of stress along my body at the prospect of being 50,000 feet in the air in a metal tube. Before I can think too much on it, Kenji returns with a pair of pills and a glass of water.

"Here," he says. "This'll calm you down, hopefully even put you to sleep. You'll sleep most of the flight if you do."

Gratefully, I take the pills and swallow them with the water. They go down easily given their comparative size to my… own… medication.

My life saving medication.

That I left back at Yamaku.

"Shit."

"Oh come on, they don't taste that bad. The flight will be quick."

"Not that, I left my medicine for my arrhythmia back at school. I didn't exactly know I'd be hoping countries today." I say, squinting accusingly at him.

"Arrhythmia? Is that something with your lungs?" he asks.

"No, it's my heart." I reply. "Just… don't worry about it. I'll take it when we get back."

"Alright." Kenji says, shrugging. "Get some sleep then. That should help. The others will be here soon." And with that he walks off.

Part of me feels in debt to him for doing all of this for me. Another part still wants to punch him. I can already feel the drugs kicking in though, and my heart rate seems slow enough. _As long as I keep you down, nothing will happen. I'll be fine, just no running._

I close my eyes and lean back, the tiredness of the day breaking over me like a wave, and it's not long before I feel myself drifting off to sleep.

* _Ding*_

"Alright folks, we have reached cruising altitude for the remaining leg of our journey to London. If you need any other sort of accommodations, please let Ms. Juniper know."

The soft voice permeated my mind and I slowly opened my eyes. Looking out the window, I see the bright lights of a city far far below, entirely lit up. In the distance, I see the Eiffel tower. The entirety of the structure is lit up and it looks as beautiful as people say. There's a soft laugh from behind me, and I turn to look at a man in a navy blue suit. The man is Caucasian, mid-thirties, with dirty-blonde close cut hair. He holds a glass with only ice in his hand, but his eyes are focused on me.

(First &#% *#&#&#%# Paris?)

English. Of course. The way he frames the words seems to be a question, and I try to figure out the meaning of the words when he laughs.

"Don't speak English?" he asks, in perfect Japanese.

"Ahh, no." I respond sheepishly. "English is my worst subject, unfortunately."

The man laughs, but not in a mocking manner. "I asked if it was your first time seeing Paris."

"Oh, yea." I say, nodding.

"I could tell." He says, smiling. "The Japanese seem to have a special affection for this city." He glances over my shoulder. "I'm glad that this could be your first image, then. I find cities are always there most beautiful when flying over them."

I don't really know how to respond to the question, so I just look out the window. It's true that I've always wanted to see Paris. I didn't even know it was going to be a stop on the trip. A woman walks out into the cabin and notices me. "Oh, Mr. Takahashi." She says. It takes me a moment before I remember that she is addressing me. "Good morning," she says, bowing her head. "Would you like your dinner now?"

"Uhh, good morning." I reply, bowing in kind. The mention of food alerts my stomach, which growls in wanting. "Yes, please. That sounds really good."

She bows again and exists back to the front.

"So, Mr. Takahashi," the man says with a smile. "What's a Japanese student that doesn't know English heading to England for?"

"Umm, my father. He wants me to observe some of the governmental processes. He works in the Japanese government, and wants me to follow." I say, quickly reciting the lie.

"Hmmm," the man hums, still smiling. "And what position in the government is your father?"

I didn't plan for this. I squirm a bit before the man breaks out in a laugh.

The woman re-enters the cabin with a delicious smelling dinner, and my stomach growls again. She places it in front of me, as well as a plastic cup with some form of bubbly drink.

"And I've brought you another Scotch, Mr. White." She says, placing the glass in front of the man.

"Thank you, my dear. You're ever too kind." He says, toasting her. She giggles and curtseys before walking back to the front of the plane. He turns back to me. "As you can see, I also have a very common last name, however I'm afraid that mine is real." He winks at me, and I feel my stomach turn. "You'd have to be pretty fast to pull one over on the MI5, security is out job after all. Don't worry though, I'm off duty, and I couldn't honestly care less what you're doing." He says, still smiling. "I doubt very much that the Japanese have any sort of terror plots towards us."

I feel my stomach unknot a little, but my appetite still isn't strong enough to overcome the sudden thrust into the light. He reaches up and presses the aid icon, and the attendant comes back.

"Yes, Mr. White?"

"Please, bring my new friend here something a bit harder than coke. Tell me, son, ever have scotch?"

"Uh… No, sir." I say.

"One scotch, then. On the rocks, and make it a bit weak for the lad. It's his first time."

She looks at me hesitantly, but bows and does as he asks. "Go on, don't let me interrupt your dinner." He says, gesturing.

I pick up the knife and fork and begin cutting the steak. It's tender, and comes apart easily. I place it in my mouth, and my stomach nearly moans at how delicious it is. I haven't eaten since lunch, and I have no idea what time it is. The attendant comes back with the glass and she hands it to me. I take it gingerly, and turn to see Mr. White raising his glass towards me.

"To international friendships," he says, still smiling. I toast him, and drink from the glass. It's a bit strong, making me cough slightly after I put it down, but it does taste pretty good.

Mr. White, on the other hand, takes it in stride, and downs half of the glass. "Ahh," he says when he finishes. "So, what are you really doing in London? No lies."

"Well… I'm going to Scotland to look for my girlfriend." I say. Is that what she is still? I mean we never really broke up… this is all still so confusing.

"Girlfriend, eh? What's she look like?" he asks, closing his eyes and leaning back.

"Umm… Well…" I'm not used to being so forward with someone, but I can't very well be rude to the man who has already caught me in a lie. "She's got long blonde hair, is as tall as I am, and slender. She's got blue eyes, but she's blind."

Mr. White opens his eyes slowly, staring straight ahead. "That's what I was doing in Japan." He says slowly. "I was looking for my sister. She fits most of that description actually. She's a bit short, though, and not blind of course." He says as if I already knew that. "Catherine." He says her name quietly, and I notice the entire tone of the conversation has flipped.

"Is your sister missing?" I ask, curious now. I still proceed to continue eating the food, glad the focus of the conversation is off of me.

"Yea. She disappeared in Japan a few months ago. She was an investigative journalist, told me she was on to something big… and then she vanished."

"I am very sorry to hear that." I say, measuredly, still not comfortable with revealing all of myself to this man. If I can keep the question on him, though, it may be easier. "Did you find anything?"

"I wish…" he says. He drinks deeply from his glass, finishing it. "Just her hotel room. She had one on reserve for her for every time she went to Japan that she told me about. The owner said she left one day and just didn't return, but Catharine is like that, likes to follow leads, so he just assumed she meant to check out. It's been two months since she's last been seen."

Mr. White fishes around in his pocket, standing up. He takes out his wallet, and out from it he pulls a small white card. "It's in English, and I know it's a longshot, but if you ever hear anything when you head back, give me a call."

On the card reads Alexander White, along with a bunch of other information. I recognize the letters, and I know this must be his name, but I'm unsure how to pronounce it.

"I'm going hit that bed in the back for a while. Good luck, kid. Hopefully at least one of us finds what we're looking for."

With that, Alexander walks to the back of the plane and through the curtain. I'm left to enjoy the rest of my meal in silence as I reflect on just how weird traveling the world must be, and how content I was just to stay in one location.

The image of a country house, sitting on the front porch with Lilly as we look over the Japanese countryside is a comforting one, and it gives me something to strive and hope for.

 _Maybe, if everything plays out right, and god willing, that wish will come true._

"Hey, come on man, wake up." A hand on my shoulder is the first feeling I have as my consciousness returns. I look over to where White had been sitting, but his seat is vacant. Kenji stands over me, his arms now crossed.

"Are we in England?" I ask, yawning.

"Damn, those pills worked wonders on you. We already left London, we're circling Inverness now. We'll be landing soon, so buckle up." Kenji sits down across the aisle from me and buckles himself in.

As I reach around the lower parts of the cushioned chair, pulling the seatbelt forward and buckling it on myself, I realize that this is the first time I've buckled it the whole flight. We'd landed and taken off multiple times, and I didn't feel a thing. I glance out the window and see the bright lights of the airport lighting up a runway as we circle around. A slight tremor runs through the plane, and the view is obscured by clouds.

"I must have been exhausted. I slept through practically everything." I say.

"Yea, well, you'll have needed it. Remember, you only have about ten hours to find her. If you can't do that… I'll try to stop him, but it wouldn't be the first time." He says, ominously. The prospect of being stranded in a foreign country is not an exciting one, but I know that I'll just have to pull through in time. Somewhere down there is Lilly. I just have to find her.

A sudden jolt loudly shakes the plane, and another one, followed by another until they're coming so fast that the plane vibrates as the radio dings "Sorry boys, she's given me a rough time right now. We'll be landing soon." Mr. Setou speaks over the intercom. I look outside and can see nothing but the fog of cloud, and the image of a broken and burning wreck enters my mind. I close my eyes and try to shut it out, but that only makes it more vivid and worse.

"I should have called my parents." I say aloud, but if Kenji can hear it he doesn't say anything. I squint my eyes shut and clutch at the airliners chair, and as suddenly as it had started the shaking ends.

I find myself panting slightly as the radio dings once more. "Pretty fun for your first flight, right? Haha, we're in final approach now, we'll be unloaded right as soon as we land." Mr. Setou sounds giddy, and I just know that he lives for this stuff.

I'm still breathing a bit from the tension when I feel the plane start to change altitude as we slowly glide down towards the ground. I force myself not to watch as the plane descends, the image of the wreck still in my mind. The plane seems to bounce one, twice, and then I hear the rolling of the wheels on the ground as we gradually slow. I'm still gripping the seats as we pull off of the runway and into a docking hanger, and the background noise that I hadn't even realized was the engines finally shuts down. Kenji unbuckles his seatbelt and stands, but my hands are still locked.

For some reason, my breathing is still heavy. I can't quite seem to catch a full breath, instead only shallow gulps of air are entering my lungs. I know it must be from the panic, but it's over now. And that's when I notice it. A noise that all of the sudden blasts in my ears.

 **Lub-dub**

 **Lub-dub**

 **Lub-dub**

"Hey boys," says Mr. Setou, walking back. "So Mr. Nakai, how was your fir-" he stops and goes pale, looking directly at me. My hands scrape off the armrests, gripping quickly at the buckle and tearing it loose. They tear my tie off of my neck, and I grip the button down shirt, pulling it apart as my chest screams in a panic.

"Kenji, what's going on!?

"What? Oh, shit! Call the paramedics! It's his heart, he's having an attack!"

I hear the voices, but I force them out of my head as I try to consciously manage my ever increasing heartrate.

 **Lub-dub Lub-dub Lub-dub Lub-dub**

The pain that's gripping my chest reaches a crescendo despite my attempts to control it, and I open my mouth in a silent scream.


	11. Chapter 11: Our final goodbye

**Chapter 11: Our Final Goodbye**

*Boop*

*Boop*

*Boop*

I feel myself slowly regaining consciousness to a familiar sound. Before I even open my eyes, I know exactly where I must be.

Part of me doesn't want to open them. It wants me to lie still, to close my mind and body off to the world, and simply rest.

There's another part, though, a strong and angry section triggered by the familiar atmosphere, and it will not allow me to simply lay still as life passes by once again.

I force my eyes open and stare upwards. The light from the outside permeates the room, and luckily the lights from above are off. The sunlight fills the room, but I'm still glad for the sparing of the loud din of the fluorescent lamps.

 _I'm in another hospital. I had an attack._

My mind flicks to the landing of the plane, and I begin to watch the memory of the flight in my mind, but banish the thought quickly.

There's no sense in reliving the stress, something I know from the winter.

I try to raise my hand to my chest, but it catches on something. A metal tinkling restrains my right arm. I try to turn my neck, but the stiffness of it makes me grunt in pain. My head rests, leaning towards my left. In the wall, I see a door and a window. The windows curtains are pulled closed, and the door has blinders placed horizontally. Light ebbs in from what must be the hallway, silhouetting the dark form of a man that is standing at the door. His presence is foreboding, but he doesn't move.

I strain my neck again, and turn to the right. All I can see through the blinds is flashes of the sky.

 _Rest, I need to rest._

The bestial part of me wants nothing of that though, and I feel my other arm raise unobstructed. It takes some effort, but I raise it ahead of me, palm outwards, as if to grab the sky.

I let it slowly glide down to my chest.

A plastic tube gets in the way.

I trace out the workings of it, the tubing going off to my left.

Slowly, I force myself to look down.

My chin digs into my neck as I do, and the action causes a shot of pain to spread through me, but it is quickly forgotten as I stare down at my chest. All sorts of intricate tubbing runs into a gigantic fissure that is pulsing in sync with my breathing. My chest, which had previously looked like it was cut with a knife, now appeared to have been sliced with a sword. A clean line of stitches runs from right near my collarbone to the end of my rib cage. The area is sewn shut with what must be over 40 stitches, but I can still see the bits of pink flesh peeking out around the needled skin.

Nausea washes over me, and I reflexively gag. Pain, burning pain, coats my body, and I gasp for air, staring up into the bleached white ceiling. I hear the monitor begin pulsing quicker and quicker, and I know that I must control myself and my breathing, but one glance at my chest, at the fluid now spreading from the area, and I feel my eyes begin to roll back into my head as the door slams open with the sound of shouting.

*Boop*

*Boop*

Slowly, groggily, I open my eyes. Tiredness has swept over me like a crashing wave, and I'd been awake less than a few moments. Already I can feel the sweet song of sleep, but I fight against it knowing that I need to at least look around.

The room hasn't changed, however the sun now seems to be setting. The yellow afternoon light flips through the shades into the dimmed room. Groggily staring out the window, I find myself reflecting on just how much has happened since that winter day. Hesitantly, worriedly, I force myself to look down towards my chest again.

Not much has changed their either, it seems, but this time I'm able to maintain my breathing.

The pinkness of the flesh seems to have ebbed away, leaving an ugly red scar crisscrossed with blue stitches. The scar runs for what seems like a full foot down the center of my chest, bisecting my chest into two splits. It is no longer pulsing, which I am extremely grateful for.

I feel my eyes wander around the room as I force myself to accept my newly enlarged scar. At the foot of the bed, resting against the opposite wall, is a single empty chair. The room is, otherwise, unfurnished, except for a small end table to my left that is empty. As my eyes scan the room, I can see what had been the restraint on my wrist. A pair of handcuffs are clasped around my wrist and a bit of the bedpost. I pull at it again, in disbelief that it's even there, and the memory of the shadow of the man standing in the hallway comes back to me.

I sigh, placing my head back against the pillow. How long have I been here? I must have missed Kenji and his father's flight, they're likely to be long gone by now.

It takes a moment for the realization that I'm in cuffs to tie into that. Maybe Kenji and his father got arrested. Somebody must have realized that I had come here illegally. I raise my other arm to my face, groaning into it. If my heart has gotten them into trouble as well…

*Click*

The noise of the door knob being turned is like a thunderclap in the otherwise ambient space, and it gets an immediate reaction out of me. My head leans to the left, looking towards the door. Noise floods into the hallway as the door begins to open, and suddenly halts. I can see two distinct shapes, two shadows, through the blinds of the door. One is the silhouette of a large man with a shaved head. He towers almost half a foot over the other shadow, which seems to be a woman given her long and flowing hair.

 _Oh god…_

Through the cracked door, I can hear voices. The familiar female voice confirms my suspicion, and it takes me a moment to realize that she's speaking in English.

(You *#$$ &%#!% me. I !% %& ^#%# &##& ^%%%) The woman sounds rough, almost demanding of the larger figure.

($!%), replies a gruff voice, (you no I !%& $ & you % &#!&)

My mind is trying to decipher what they're saying, but I cannot focus as I simply stare in disbelief. I try calling out, saying something, but my throat rasps and I cough. Pain shoots through my chest, and I have to force myself to stay still rather than squirm.

(&#!% you are * $!%% &% &!$ #& up *#&# %* my father,) says the woman in an almost threatening manner. The door is pushed open further, and in the doorway, silhouetted by the brightness of the hall, stands the only person in the world that I wanted to see.

She is wearing a plan white blouse over black pants. She wears a black shrug over her shoulders, which are covered by her long blonde hair. Her hair is tied up in with her black ribbon. Her fair skin looks pewter white in the dimming light, and in her off-hand she holds a small wooden box. The music box. Judging by her face, she appears obviously annoyed.

"Lilly."

My voice croaks out quietly, but she tenses. I had forgotten just how beautiful she was. She stands stock still in the threshold, her eyes open in surprise, her annoyance seemingly forgotten. No amount of imagining or remembering could measure up to just how amazing she looks right at this moment.

"H-hisao?" she asks.

(Oh, shit. %!% please-)

"Lilly." I say, paying no heed to the man standing behind her. I can feel tears forming in my eyes.

Lilly stands stock still for a moment before throwing her cane to the floor, and rushing to my bedside. "Hisao? Hisao where are you?" she asks frantically, grabbing at the bedside.

"Up- ugh." My throat still feels dry. "Higher." I manage to breathe out.

Slowly, delicately, Lilly reaches and grasps upwards. Tears are dripping down her face. "T-they said you had an attack, that you nearly died. Oh, Hisao…" she says through tears.

I raise my arm and grip hers, guiding her towards my head.

"I-I can't… I can't…" she breaks off as I pull her close to me. She buries her face into my shoulder, openly crying. I can tell she's taking great care to avoid the tubes that are stuck into my chest. "You can't die Hisao. You can't, I need you. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." She repeats into my neck. Her hair is bunched up beneath me. I try to speak, but all that comes is a dry rasp. Lilly quickly backs away. "Oh no, did I-"

"No, no." I say. I force myself to cough lightly. "Water."

Lilly shouts in English (*!& ^ * % *!& ^) I can only assume she's calling for water.

Hastily, a woman enters the room. Lilly shouts at her, and she's sent scurrying.

"Don't worry, Hisao. They'll have you something i-in a…"

She trails off, tears still leaking from her eyes. I take her hand and she cups both of hers around mine, falling to her knees next to the bed. In a moment's notice, the nurse has returned with a Styrofoam cup. She says something to Lilly, who reluctantly releases my hand and steps back. The nurse approaches the bed and taps a button on the side, gently raising my back until I am in a sitting position. She raises the cup to my lips, speaking simple words, although they all fall off of me. The liquid streams down my throat, quenching it as if it were aflame.

Lilly, who seems to have calmed down, stands near the bed, waiting. She's still breathing raggedly, but no more tears are falling from her eyes. She reaches out and feels the end table, placing the wooden music box on it. She opens it, and the familiar tune fills the room.

"Thank you." I say to the nurse, and then, remembering, repeat (thank you) in English. My throat feels marginally better. The nurse nods and turns to Lilly, whispering something. Lilly nods, replying (Please #% %^% my father &#!& he #!& !*%$ %)

The nurse nods and steps from the room. As she does, my mind wonders where the guard seems to have gone.

"She's going to call Father to tell him you've awoken." Lilly says, her voice low. "Hisao…" she trails off.

"Come here." I say. Lilly steps forward. I gently reach out, taking her arm with my hand and guiding her in. She hugs me fully, burying her face into my shoulder once more.

"They said you might never wake up." She says sadly. "They told me that you flew here by plane and had a heart attack. That you snuck into the country. Hisao, why did you come?"

Her question hits me hard. The look on her face is almost heartbreaking, and I'm sure that if I had not been managing my heart rate, it might have simply stopped and refused to beat anymore. She stands there, clouded blue eyes staring right through me. It's almost devastating, not at all the reaction my mind had expected, and as happy I am to see her, seeing her weep over me has been almost too much to bare. Having her, having anyone, cry over me is something I've been trying to avoid ever since I developed Arrhythmia.

"I'm… I'm sorry Lilly." She perks her head, obviously not expecting the answer, as her fingers interlace in front of her. "After months of trying, pushing myself to keep together, telling myself that I couldn't let anybody worry about me… I'm in another hospital." I snort at myself self-depreciatively. "I guess I really am an idiot."

A crack echoes through the room, and it takes a moment for the pain in my face to register. I stare openmouthed at Lilly, her right hand raised off to the side, and fresh tears falling down her face.

"Don't you ever." She says through sobs. "Ever. Say that again. You are not an idiot Hisao. You have never been, and you will never be, and I will not allow you to speak of yourself that way." Her cheeks are flushed and she's huffing hard, before she crumples to her knees once again and buries herself against me. The increase of the heart rate monitor spikes my mind back into action, and I level my breathing.

"Okay. I'm sorry." I breathe out between even breaths. She rights herself, still on her knees, and looks forward.

"I… We said goodbye. I left Yamaku, and you came all the way here, you suffered a heart attack in another nation… why Hisao? Was it for me? Did you think-" She breaks off, her emotions seem to be reaching another boiling point.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

"S-sorry?" Puzzlement is written across her face and her unseeing eyes seem to be taking me in.

"For the times when I wasn't there when you needed me." I say. My body aches, my throat hurts, and my cheek stings, but I know now more than ever that I need to say my piece. "Until now, I thought you just being there would be enough. I only needed you by my side to make any day feel better. Even if my body may be like this, I want to help you, Lilly; to be there when you need someone."

Lilly smiles, a tight smile that speaks of kindness. She rights herself, standing over me. Her delicate hand extends, her fingers brushing against my skin. "But you always were there, Hisao…"

"Why did you want to go to Scotland, Lilly?" I need to know, I've had this conversation so many times in my head, but I'm going off script now because every time I just can't answer this question…

"W-why…? I told you, Hisao… I had to come because Akira needed to, and my family has summoned me."

"Had to? Why did you never say that you wanted to?"

Lilly's hands bunch up in front of her, her fingers fidgeting. "I- I…"

"Lilly, please come home with me. Come home to Japan. I know that I'm not stubborn too often, but this time I really need to be. I want you to be where everyone you know is, where all of your dreams and ambitions were made. I want to be with you, Lilly, and if you choose to stay with me, I will never leave your side. I can't, won't, let you lose another person. You showed me… After everything that happened, I lost my entire life. Lilly you showed me there is a future worth living. I know I…" I hesitate, fearing another slap. Lilly is standing stock still, her hands still clasped, and I can see fresh tears brewing in her eyes. I push myself to finish. "Sometimes, I am unreliable. I had thought I understood everything about you when I hadn't even understood myself. But regardless of all of that, I want to give you a future as well. I want to be with you always, to share in your burdens as well as your happiness… just like I promised you back in Hokkaido." Lilly says nothing, waiting for me to finish, and I push through. "I want you to trust me… I know I've had problems putting my trust in you… I lost so many people because of my heart, I just couldn't bare the idea that it'd push you away too, but that's how I know that being unable to trust others can feel awful. So, I can't. I can't sit by and watch you throw away your life like this. I never want you to go through what I did, losing everyone you know and care about. I would do anything to stop that."

Lilly stand still, still looking ahead. She then sighs, letting out what seems to be all the tension of her body. "You can be quite steadfast when you want to be, can't you?"

I chuckle slightly, which sends a flair of pain through my chest, but other than the grimace I manage to stay soundless. "It's not often, but yea heh."

Even soundless though, the woman appears to know somethings happened as her face tenses, and I simply let out a sigh of defeat.

"I couldn't bear the thought of anyone worrying over me since I left the hospital, and here I am with the one person that I love most crying over me in another one. Even if I can finally tell you my feelings, this body feels almost useless… Every time I reached towards something, it was just snatched from my grasp. Even now, as you said, I should probably be dead… It's all due to luck that I even met you. Even now, all I can do is worry you… Chances are I will never live a long and full life."

"Not luck." She says, extending her hand and cupping my cheek. "Fate." Her other hand cups a small metal cross, her necklace, that I hadn't even noticed. "You always were so sincere… so self-conscious. You and I were brought together, I see that now." She smiles tightly. "You're a reserved, mild-mannered, and patient man, Hisao. Yet you're curious about everything and everyone, and evidently you're tenacious to a fault." She giggles at herself, cupping her face with her other hand as she still hold onto mine. "When I told you that I had missed you when I was with my family, I was not lying or exaggerating. You were constantly on my mind, and just the thought of you helped me through that time. That's why I was so confused when my family summoned me… Even after I thought I had made my decision, you tried your hardest to challenge me about it… you still are, in fact." She said, smiling. "I love you Hisao. I confessed to you because I never ever want to lose you, and I want… I need you with me, always. No matter what might change. Do you agree to that?"

"O-of course, Lilly." Now it's my turn to be caught off guard by a question. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. No matter what happens."

Lilly smiles, her eyes tearing up. "I'm so glad to hear that. You are a beautiful person, Hisao. Your heart changes none of that, so please, do not apologize for yourself anymore. I love you just the way that you are."

Lilly leans down, and I force myself to the side, ignoring the damming pain, as I return her kiss. This is all I've ever wanted, to be with Lilly. Nothing could change that.

"I know that I can't promise that I'll be around forever…" I start.

"Then you and I will have to do something about that." She says. She giggles in a very girlish manner, and I smile at the earnestness in it.

Before I can ask what she means, a sound pierces the comfortable atmosphere like a sword through skin. The creak of the door is an unwanted interruption, and Lilly and I both turn towards in. Just beyond the threshold is a small Asian man, standing still. He has black hair and a rounded face, wearing a pair of wire frame glasses as well as a blue suit. On it, he wears a golden badge that gleams in the afternoon light.

"Good evening, Ms. Satou. Mr. Nakai." He says, bowing to us in turn. "Chief Inspector Grant has sent me ahead to make it known that he will be visiting soon. I am Charles Teng, a Japanese interpreter." He wears a large grin that seems entirely forced.

Soundlessly, Lilly crosses the room. As she does, her foot strikes her cane that had been discarded. She bends down and retrieves it. Charles makes no move to help her. Cane now in hand, Lilly approaches the door, and finds the edge of it. "Mr. Grant is more than welcome to visit once my father arrives. Until then, please make sure that we are not disturbed." She begins to swing the door shut. "Thank you."

Mr. Teng bows, still smiling, as the door is closed directly in his face. Lilly crosses the room once more, a tired and weary look on her face.

"I'm in a lot of trouble… aren't I?"

The question makes Lilly hesitate, but only for a moment.

"No matter what happens, I will stay with you. Always. I will never let myself be apart from you again, and you will do the same for me. Agreed?" she asks. I reach out with my hand and grip her arm. I pull her closer until she's leaning over the bed. "Agreed. Now come, lay down. I'm not the only one that's had a few long days."

"A-are you sure?" she asks, obviously hesitant.

"Yea, the bed is big enough, and if I go another moment without my arm wrapped around you then my heart might give out of spite." I say, breathing out a laugh.

"Hmm, okay, but only because you've placed me under duress." She says jokingly. She laughs and I pull myself to the right side of the bed.

Gently, in an ever so Lilly like manner, she raises herself on the edge of the bed, over the small gap, and lies back. I extend my left arm around her and she lays back against my shoulder on her side. In the glow of the afternoon light, she looks just like she had when I had first met her, and I begin to give her fate idea some serious credit.

I don't know how long we lay there. An hour. Two hours. Maybe even something as little as twenty minutes. To me, it doesn't matter, because I'm finally with Lilly once more.

Eventually, though, the need to face the music approaches. I know in my heart that something is going to happen, that you cannot just go into another country without consequence, but if it means being together with her than any price is worth the payment.

The crack of the door creaking open once again permeates the room. I feel Lilly shift as she turns to face forward, and I watch as the men enter myself.

First is Charles Teng, who steps quickly to the side.

He is followed by a large Caucasian man, whose stomach bulges out ahead of him. He's an older man, who obviously lives a comfortable life. His white hair is cropped close to his scalp, and he's balding on top. He has white stubble, and a mustache and beard. He is wearing a near identical suit to Teng, however he does not wear a badge on his jacket. He, also, steps to the side and towards the bed, looking us over.

Behind him is an Asian man that looks entirely too severe. His black hair, swept back and to his right, does nothing to alleviate the graveness of his mannerism, and his olive skin practically glows in the sun, but he does not radiate beauty such as it makes Lilly. Power. This man positively radiates strength. He's well-built, barrel-chested beneath his fine black business suit and red tie. His entire suit is black besides the redness of the tie, and he carries a briefcase to match that looks as if it was made of fine leather. He walks like a man in charge, and he assumes the chair across from the foot of the bed. He stares ahead, brow knotted in an unfriendly demeanor. He looks more like he is visiting a man slated for death than one who is recovering.

Finally, after a moment, a man in a doctor's coat begins to enter the room. (# *, you $# & cannot $!* %%-)

Mr. Teng cuts the man off, raising his hand in front of the man. He seems to gently push him out, closing the door in front of him. He turns around, his Cheshire-cat like smile still plastered on his face.

(You are in biiig &^%&!$ *%&%# man.) Says the heavyset man.

"You are in big trouble, young man." Mr. Teng translates.

The large man begins speaking, but it is all so fast that I have no hope of understanding him in the slightest. Mr. Teng fires into it without a moment's hesitation, though.

"My name is Chief Inspector Grant. You are Hisao Nakai. One week ago, you infiltrated this country via the use of a private jet as an unlicensed passenger. The penalty for this can vary, but given that you had a heart mummer, you were quickly escorted to the hospital."

It was a bit more than a heart murmur, I want to reply, but there is no room for a reply from me as they continue directly unheedingly.

"The hospital staff had the ability to deny you, given that you are an illegal alien in our country, but at the behest of Ms. Satou and her sister, they took you in and treated you. You've had multiple surgeries since your arrival, and even now are under heavy drug influence in order to dull pain. Can you understand everything I am saying to you currently?"

The soft song of the music box is entirely out of place right now, I think to myself before I realize that that is indeed a question that I must answer.

"Yes," I say, nodding my head.

Grant resumes his speech, quickly followed by Teng.

"Good. It is evident, given the use of your motor controls, as well as your ability to be so close in proximity to Ms. Satou, however we needed it to be stated for the record. Normally, Mr. Nakai, you would be deported immediately upon being apprehended, which is an expensive process to us as well as would probably kill you given your condition." Lilly's hand tightens on my leg, and I turn to see her face set as if it were made of stone. I can feel her thought that she would never allow it pass over me, but quickly return my attention to the men. "Normally, this is not our concern. You lived once, we would take the chance that you would live twice. Otherwise, you would be placed in a state facility of ours. A prison. And given that you would never STOP trespassing on our land, you would spend the rest of your life in prison, or until someone back home managed to charter a ship to take you from her to Japan." But that's impossible! I feel like my heart is in my throat, blocking my speech. I want to shout at the men, to tell them there is no way, but Lilly's presence with me quiets the rage inside. Cooler heads must prevail.

"However, Mr. Nakai, luckily for you, the state has been given another option."

I feel as a fish must when looking at bait, the hopefulness must be evident on my voice as I respond. "What is that option?"

"We are going to place you in the custody of a very good friend to our department, and our government, Mr. Satou." Relief floods through me, and obviously it does Lilly as well as she lets out a breath. "Mr. Satou has agreed to pay all of your hospital bills as well as any medical bills, therefore costing the state nothing. You will be placed into his custody for the time being, and will be living with his family until you decide to either apply for citizenship, or return to your country. You will remember that you are a guest in our nation, and that we are giving to a favorable treatment. Do not make us regret it." I find myself furiously nodding my head, extraordinarily happy with the option over life in prison or another flight that might spell my doom. Grant walks over to the man that I can only assume is Mr. Satou and hands him a key. Satou takes it, his eyes never leaving me, and I feel a gulp of fear that this option may not be so much better.

"Thank you Mr. Nakai. Have a good evening." Grant walks out of the room, leaving the door open behind him. Mr. Teng, however, has stayed behind.

"Nakai." Mr. Satou speaks for the first time. His voice reminds me of someone in a movie, it's deep and heavy, as if his words carried the weight of the world. Maybe they did. My world, at least.

But no, Lilly has gripped my hand, and I remember that this is not just my world, but our world now.

( % not four a %%% %& &##%$ &#!& &##& #& a # & %&& % $!#$ !^ ) He says in English.

"Do not, for a moment, thing that this is a get out of jail card." Mr. Teng translates.

Lilly speaks up, interjecting into the conversation. ( *!&& me Mr Teng, I can &^!%&$!& * $$ %%&## we % not ^ ^&#^ your & ^*#! & thank you) she says in English. She rises herself from the bed, stepping out over the edge. She grips her cane in her hand, staring at Teng. (Leave).

Teng looks at Satou, who nods. Teng claps his hands together, still smiling, and leaves. Lilly approaches to close the door behind him swinging it shut.

(!$& &#!& #% ^%!$ box.) He says in a harsh tone. Lilly walks over to the end table and snaps the music box shut, its tone suddenly dying. Lilly takes up position standing next to me, and looks down towards her father. She grips my shoulder with her hand.

Mr. Satou begins speaking in rapid English, much faster than he had with Teng, and a part of me knew it must be because it was Lilly. She keeps up without any sort of issue though, flawless speaking. "Nakai, you have come here without any sort of summons or any sort of invitation from our family. Not only this, but you nearly died in the process." Lilly hangs up some on the word died, but keeps up nonetheless. "I have convinced the state, at the wish of my daughters who have both accepted their summons home, to grant you into my custody. This came with the stipulation that I would grant the hospital payment for your surgeries that you have required, such as the addition and removal of a pacemaker, as well as for the doubtless medication that you will require after the events of today. You will be living-"

Lilly cuts off though, addressing her father in English. He balks, apparently unused to being interrupted. Lilly says something again, to which he replies gravely and in an almost threatening manner. Lilly, however, holds her head high, her tone unchanging, and repeats herself. She then adds something on to it, which makes Satou seem to mull it over, before nodding his head.

"You will be living in my manor, sharing a room with my daughter, who you will eventually marry." Lilly says, this time without Satou speaking at all. I look at Lilly, and she must have felt my head move, as her eyes shine along with her smile as she squeezes my shoulder, and I feel my heart soar. A blush must have crept to my face as the heat seems to have quickly risen in the room. I notice the blush on hers as well, and the happiness spreads through me with the threat of bursting out.

Mr. Satou begins speaking again, but it's only when Lilly starts do I return my gaze to him.

"You will be living with us, Mr. Nakai, until you have paid your debt off to me. You will have charged me medical bills, living expenses, as well more than a few favors with the department to keep you "vacation" off record. You will be working with Akira in order to pay off your debt, who, along with Lilly, will teach you English. In my house, Nakai, we speak only the language of business, and that is English. I will understand you, but I will not reply to you in any manner if you speak Japanese to me. You will learn, in time." Another squeeze, another smile. Satou seems to address his daughter with something, and she nods before bowing her head. All I can catch from her reply is (Thank you, Father.)

Satou stands up and approaches the bed. At the same time as I am grateful to him, I am slightly afraid that he's going to punch me in the face. Instead though, he unlocks the cuffs, pocketing them. He then speaks again, and Lilly translates.

"Once you are released from the hospital, your training with Akira will begin immediately. She is home, already working, and you will be her personal assistant. Do not squander this opportunity that I am giving you, Nakai."

Mr. Satou makes to exit the room.

(T-thank you. Sir.) I reply, trying my best to remember proper pronouns from a long forgotten class. He hesitates, and then steps from the room.

Lilly throws her arms around me. "You did so well." She says excitedly to me.

"You did pretty well yourself, you translated much better than Tang did… did you argue with him over something?" I ask.

"He wanted to put you in the guest room, but I told him you'd be staying with me." She said simply, pulling back and smiling widely. The happiness is written all over her face, and I'm sure more than a little relief is on mine. "I can't wait for you to see our home. I hear it's so beautiful." Lilly says, again pulling herself close to me.

"I'm just happy to be with you. And working with Akira doesn't sound so bad… I just hope they don't expect me to learn overnight." I say, a bit worriedly.

"Oh, well, obviously you and I will work at that as well, as well as… a few things." She says, mysteriously. I look at her, but her cheeky grin tells me there's no point in asking.

"I love you, Lilly." Is all I say. I pull her tightly against my body, holding her ever so close to my fragile form. Her long wavy hair falls all around us.

"I love you too, Hisao." She whispers back, her lips brushing my throat.

We stay like that for a while, before she eventually pulls back. "Okay… Okay…" she says to herself. She rightens her blouse, tugging on it, and brushes her hair back behind her head. "I need to go home. Just for a little while, I'll be packing a bag with clothing and such, and I'll come back and stay with you until you're released. Does your room have a bathroom and shower?"

I laugh as Lilly's obvious matriarchal ability shines. "I don't think so. I just woke up today."

"Right…" she perks her hands together by her chin, thinking. "I'll see if we can have you transferred then, if you're stable."

"That sounds wonderful, dear. Right now, I'm just tired though."

"I imagine you are." She says, smiling. "You've had quite the long day."

"Ugh…" I moan. "I'm going to have to call my parents. They're probably freaking out."

Lilly giggles, cupping her mouth. "You must call Hanako as well, and the school. You should probably also let Mr. Setou know, he was quite distraught as he escorted you to the ambulance. Akira nearly chocked him trying to get what happened out of him." she hums happily. "I am just so glad to be with you again. I'll return soon, we can take care of all of that tomorrow."

"Don't leave without a kiss." I say, pouting even though I know it's fruitless.

She laughs again, a sound that makes me feel like floating on clouds. "I wouldn't imagine it."

She leans over and we kiss, intertwining our hands together. I hold tight to hers after she pulls back. "Make me a promise, okay?" I ask of her.

Her face plucks in confusion, and she slightly blushes. "Yes?"

"Promise me that this will be our last goodbye. That after right now, you and I will never say goodbye to one another again, because we'll never be too far from one another."

Lilly smiles, her eyes beaming, and her lips part showing off her teeth in one of the largest most heartfelt smiles I have ever seen her give. "Yes. I promise."


	12. Chapter 12: A woman scorned

**Chapter 12: A woman scorned**

The feeling of impact in my fist sends a spike of pain, but the adrenaline is flowing now and I'm screaming.

"YOU TOOK HIM TO FUCKING SCOTLAND!? YOU PUT AN ARRYTHMATIC GUY ON A PLANE!? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU FUCKING FUCK!?" It comes out much shriller than I wanted, but I don't care. The boy, Kenji, is crumpled on the floor, looking up at me from his position against the wall with anger in his eyes.

"How the hell was I-" he starts, but I fling my prosthetic leg forward with my leg muscles, and it strikes him right in the chest. Even confined to this dammed chair, I can still work my knees. The impact from his chest tears open the fragile skin of my leg, but I don't care. I'm barely able to resist the urge to fling myself at him.

"Emi." Says a melancholy voice from behind me, but I ignore her.

"How wouldn't you! You're his hall mate, his fucking friend, right? Oh, you're such a fucking hero, Kenji." I say, gesturing to the notes and posters people had made and dropped off for him. I kick my leg at him again, but he blocks it this time, shielding himself. "You didn't even know, did you?"

"Emi." Says the girl again. "The elevator is moving."

I ignore her again, tears breaking over my eyes. "You stupid bastard. He was supposed to- supposed to…" I start crying openly, not caring who sees. I put my head in my hands as I sob, hating the world.

"What the hell is- Ibrazaki? Emi? Hey, are you- Setou, get back in your room."

A deep voice, the security guard Kane, talks over my sobs. I refuse to pick my head up though. Fuck Kane, fuck Kenji, and fuck fucking stupid Hisao.

"She hi-"

"Setou! Return to your room. That's an order." Kane booms. The door clicks as Kenji returns to it, muttering darkly under his breath.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and finally look up, and see Kane kneeling down next to me. "Emi?" he asks.

"He was supposed to stay here with me." I say, and I grab Kane, fresh tears falling down my face. I bury my head in his shoulder, sobbing. He hugs me, muscular arms around me as he pats my back.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. Come on, we gotta get you to the nurse, you're bleeding."

"Oh, so you are." Says Rin.

"Uhh, Ms. would you mind pushing… oh." Kane says, apparently looking at Rin. It catches me soo off guard that I break off, looking at them. Kane is looking at Rin, a furious blush on his face, as she waggles her armless stumps in what looks like some weird kind of shrugging dance. The scene is enough to make me laugh, and I bust out laughing. God, I'm so emotional. I'm crying on a security guard.

Kane looks over at me, and he smiles. "Hey, that's better. I'm going to have to push you to the nurse, okay?"

What he says finally registers with me, and I grab down towards my right leg. "Oh no! Nononononono- aghhh dammit." I curse, finding the blood dripping off of the ancient prosthetic. The thing was essentially a cup connected to a bar connected to a foot. It was a really old pair, the ones I had gotten a few years ago after growing and needing to get used to walking with longer legs. That I had to use them at all sucked, and now they had blood on them. I popped the leg off, and sure enough a small wound had torn on my leg. "Ahhhh, shit. Mom's gonna have a fit." I say.

"Is it better to leave that off?" Kane asks.

"Yea, so it doesn't bleed all over it. Ugh." I sigh. "Let's go. That man." I say, grumbling as Kane takes the handles on the back of my chair and starts pushing.

The walk to the nurse's station was in silence, which I was grateful for as I was able to finally get some thoughts to myself. I hadn't meant to punch Kenji, hadn't meant to even yell at him, I'd wanted to ask what had happened and if Hisao was in trouble because they didn't bring him back. It was me, after all, who had found out he was missing. Well, me and that Hanako girl. I'd waited until 12:30 by the track before thinking that maybe he'd just overslept and was on my way to wake him up when I ran into her as she was exiting the girls' dorm. I'd asked her where his room was and told him he hadn't shown up for breakfast like we planned, and she went dashing off to the boys' dorm. It's not exactly easy to hurry in a wheelchair, but I'd caught up to her by the dorm as she came back down the stairs, crying and saying his room was broken into and he was gone. We went back up as the front desk called security and saw all of his stuff there, all of his pills and clothes, and a giant hole in his wall. I thought he'd been attacked, not jumped ship to fucking Scotland to chase after that stupid blonde…

"Rahhh." I growl to myself.

"Hey, the Nurse isn't that bad." Kane says, pushing along. I twist in my chair to glare at him, but he only smiles that stupid smile and keeps pushing. I huff as we enter the building, and within a few moments we're at the station.

Kane raises up a large hand and knocks on the doorframe.

"Heeelllloo." Comes an annoying voice from inside. Kane pushes us forward, and there's Nurse sitting at his computer typing. "How may I-" he starts, spinning around, but he stops midsentence as his eyes lock on me and within seconds he's in his serious doctor mode.

"What happened?" He asks, standing from his chair and advancing on the first aid station. He quickly washes his hands. "Jumping Jacks." I say, arms crossed and miffed.

"She kicked another student." Kane says. I shoot him another glare which seems to bounce off of him.

"She hit him too. You might wanna check his face." Rin says to Kane. I had almost forgotten Rin was there, but now I find myself exasperatedly looking at her.

"Oh, I didn't… Well, I'll uhh, I'll be back." Kane says, hurrying from the room, Rin still looking after him. She looks down back at me, and then towards my leg, which is dripping with blood.

"I don't like blood." Rin says, and she walks to a corner and sits in the chair, tucking her feet up. Her face is impassive as she slips her shoes off of her feet.

The Nurse approaches me, bandages and gauss in his hands. "I'm guessing Mr. Setou was involved in this?" He asks, knowingly. I look away, but that seems to gratify his answer.

"I'd have done it myself if I could earlier. Don't worry, you're not in any trouble." He says. I look back to him, surprised, and he winks. "We had quite the discussion earlier, about endangering other people's lives."

I huff and look away again.

"Come on, let's get you out of that chair." He reaches forward, and I find myself grabbing onto him as he bodily lifts me from the seat and places me in one of the beds. Anger courses through me as this is the second time this week I'm here. And it's all that stupid Hisao's fault.

"Alright." Nurse says. "The bleeding was already slowing, so you should be okay. It's not that bad, but please, TAKE IT EASY." He says, empathizing the last three words. He unbuckles my other leg, and takes it and the one I took off earlier, putting them on his desk. "I'm taking these, so you're not tempted to act out any time soon. Okay?" The nurse asks.

Before I can answer, I hear a loud bang from outside, followed by incoherent yelling.

"NO!NO! YOU CAN'T MAK-" I recognize Kenji's voice, as he's propelled into the office by Kane, who is holding him by the scruff of his neck. He had apparently tried to give himself some sort of first aid, as gauss was layered over half of his face, and band-aids were stuck to his neck.

"I found him about to try to give himself stiches." Kane says, grabbing one of Kenji's flailing hands and placing him in a hold.

"Come on, Mr. Setou. We need to have another talk." The Nurse says, standing. "This one about medication, apparently. The room across the hall, if you'd please." Kane nods, and leads Kenji, flailing, from the room.

The nurse sighs. "They really need to approve my padded cell idea." He says to himself. He then turns to me and gives another of his trademark winks, and he's gone.

"Padded cell?" Rin asks.

"He's kidding… I think." I respond. Rin is sitting, one foot raised to her head as she tilted her face into it, like a bored person would with their hand.

"Are you okay?" She asks. "You're not very Emi today. Or are you too much Emi? It's difficult to tell." She says.

I look at her a few moments before just giggling. "I'm as me as me can be." I say, remembering a phrase my mom told me when I was little. Rin just nods, then places her legs cross legged and closes her eyes, apparently needing to meditate on the days events.

I reflect on them too, and before long I find myself steaming too. If Hisao hadn't run up those stairs, I wouldn't have hurt my leg. If Hisao hadn't had lunch with me, I wouldn't have seen Rin and fallen. If Hisao hadn't left, I wouldn't have hit Kenji. This is all that stupid Hisao's fault. If he hadn't left… If he didn't run after someone who obviously didn't care about him…

"Ugggghhh." I groan to myself, putting my head back in my hands. I hate this. I hate feeling like this. He's just a dumb boy, why do I feel like someone just punched me in the gut?

Half-tempted to pull out my hair in anger, I huff in exasperation and lie back against the pillows.

A door opens out in the hall, and the Nurse and Kane enter the room.

"Where's the mental patient?" I ask him. He smiles warmly, although Kane rolls his eyes.

"Emi, and I suppose you as well Tezuka, what are you plans for this summer?" Nurse asks us. I turn to Rin, who seems to still be in her meditative position, not paying attention.

"Well, I don't really have any, and I think Rin is free too… Why?" I ask cautiously. Nurse smile grins even wider as he steps forward.

"Mr. Kane and I, in conjunction with the local hospital, as well as the school, would like to extend an, ah, invitation to the both of you." He says. He has his smug look plastered on his face, and Kane stands behind him, leaning against the wall. It's really striking at just how fit Kane is. He looks more like a soldier than a security officer, though he looks extremely American in just how large he is. His blue security uniform looks slightly tight, but it makes his chest look bigger. "This program," nurse continues, "will allow for you to continue your stay at Yamaku. You'll even be able to keep your dorms over the summer." Rin seems to perk up at this, and she moves her head, stretching her neck. "It's a medical training sort of class, mainly focused on First Aid. I think you'd both benefit from it."

Rin nods her head, "Sure, it sounds fascinating. Will we get to dissect people?" She asks.

Nurse laughs, although it comes out a bit forced. "That's the advanced class," he jokes back, although Rin looks rather put-off that she can't slice someone with her foot.

She looks over at me. "I'll join if you do." She says.

"Woah, way to put the pressure on!" I say back, she just smiles though. "What if I don't want to?" I ask, looking back to Nurse. He smiles so large that it nearly touches his ears.

"Oh, I have a bit of incentive for you." He says, stretching his lips. "If you don't, your mother might learn that you punched a student in the face today. You nearly broke his glasses, you know." He says with a wink.

"BLACKMAIL!" I shout at him, and I pound my fists against the bed. "Evil evil blackmail!"

"I like to think of it as, insurance, to make sure you do something besides grind your legs to dust this summer." He says, smiling. "Besides, you can spend more time with me." He winks again, and I see Kane smiling amusedly in the background.

"Sooooo…" I say, after a pause. "If I do join, you won't tell Mom about what happened?"

"Promise." He replies, raising his left hand in a vow.

"Not even that I tore my leg?"

He hesitates for a moment, but he nods his head. "Yes, fine. But don't let her find out about it, because she'll kill me if she does. That woman is a beast when she's angry."

"This woman will turn into a beast if you don't give me my legs back." I say, mostly joking. Mostly. He laughs though and goes to the table, handing me my legs.

"The class begins in a week. You two will have full campus access, as always. Feel free to utilize it." He says with a smile.

"Thank you both." Kane says, and he bows his head. "I'm going to head back out. Hopefully that's the last attack of the day." He says, jokingly. I stick my tongue out at him, and he lets out a bark of laughter as he walks out the door. The Nurse helps me back to my chair, and he bops me on the nose.

"No telling Meiko. Promise?"

"Promise." I reply.

"Good. Now get outta here, ya goof. I don't want to see you until next week." I settle in the chair, both legs laid across my lap. Rin walks up and out the door ahead of me.

"I'm gonna tell Mom that your canceling dinner with her tomorrow then!" I say, and zoom out of the room. He calls out after me, but I'm already gone, following Rin down the hall and outside.

We walk around for a bit, a little aimlessly. I know how Rin enjoys wandering about campus, so I'm at least happy that she'll be able to stay the summer as well. I have no idea what she has planned, and I very much doubt that Rin herself knows either.

Rin begins kicking her legs up as she walks, more of an oblong march than anything. She's a bit silly to watch, almost in a sort of waddling as she refuses to bed her knees as she does. I giggle and she looks over at me, apparently surprised I'm still here.

"Hey Emi, will you sleepover tonight? It's too quiet now that people are gone." Rin asks straightforwardly, and it catches me a bit off guard.

"Yea, sure! It'll make it easier to hide my bandages from mom too. I'll call her and let her know." And just like that, I'll be spending the night with Rin. It's not the first time we've slept over, there've been nights where I've woken up and she's on my floor, covered in paint, and she won't tell me what she was doing, which is a lot of interactions with Rin, now that I think about it. Rin will be Rin though, and I happen to like that about her.

"You're stairing at me." Rin says, pointedly.

"Oh… Sorry." I say, looking forward.

"Don't apologize. I stare at you too." I look back to her and she's got her half smile on her face, and we're back to our afternoon stroll.

It's not long before the sun starts to set, and Rin and I head back to the girls' dorms. As we did, I called my mother to let her know I'll be staying the night, and though she sounded a bit disappointed she agreed it was fine. I told her I might be doing something over the summer, and she seemed happy enough with that, and to tell her the details when I got home.

In the yellow light of the setting sun, a couple of girls pass us by as we enter the dorm. They all seem to be loaded up with bags, including that Hanako girl, who looks like she might be trying to carry her entire room at once. I wave to her, and she tries to wave back… dropping a few bags in the process.

I flinch, a yell out a quick sorry, before continuing on our way inside. Sitting by the front desk is that girl that's in Rin's art class. She notices us and hops off of the countertop, then walks over to us cane in hand.

"Good evening, Rin." She says.

"Hmm? Oh, hello." Rin replies.

The girl turns to me, extending a hand. "Saki, it's good to meet you. Emi, right?"

"Ummm… yes?" I reply, cautiously. Saki seems to find that funny, and giggles into her hand.

"I owe you a debt." She says. Confusion must be plain on my face, as she laughs again. "I hear that you, ah, gave Mr. Setou a 'piece of your mind'?" she says.

"Oh… that…" I say, and I feel a blush come onto my face. "Yea… I sort of let things get out of hand."

Saki humms at it lightly, and I'm starting to get a bit irritated with her enjoying this. "Well, thank you." She said, and she takes my hand, bowing. "I was on my way to do that myself when Security was tugging him out of the building. Another student told me what had happened, and I decided I simply must meet you. Hisao and I had made plans, but I suppose those have fallen through. Oh well." She says with a shrug and a smile.

"W-what plans did Hisao make with you?" I ask, a bit worriedly. I scold myself for even caring, but a part of me still wants to know.

"Oh, just for lunch. He showed me an excellent book that made me think about a few things." Saki says, and she gestures to a book lying on the counter where she had sat. "Say, will you be around this summer?" Saki asks.

"Yea, why?" I reply, curiously. This girl sure seems to move fast.

"There's a martial arts club starting up in town, there's a flyer over on the bulletin board." She says, gesturing to the cork board where students usually hung pamphlets. "Would you like to join with me? I'd love to have someone else I know besides just myself."

"Oh, uhh, well me and Rin…" I trail off, gesturing towards my legs.

Saki smiles. "I wouldn't have taken you as someone who'd allow that to matter." She says. I feel my brow twitch, and the anger of the day start flaring up.

"When does it start?" I ask, through gritted teeth.

"Oh, about two weeks. I must be going now, I sure hope you're able to come. Thanks again, but I must be on my way!" Saki says. She turns, walking back to the counter and picking up her book before heading to the stairs. "See you around." She says with an irritating wink.

I fight the urge to shout as I roll over and tear the pamphlet from the wall.

The pamphlet advertises the new martial arts center, teaching all sorts of fighting techniques. The words 'kick boxing' are underlined, and I look over at Rin, cringing at the thought of being on the receiving end of one of her powerful legs. She smiles at me when she notices me looking at her. I look back to the paper, and read a few other art styles. One of the things that actually pulls at me is a section about using weapons, including sword fighting.

A memory floats into my head. _'I'll send ye plummeting into Tha Sea ya scallywag.'_

If I ever see Hisao again, I'm going to make sure that he'll be walking the plank.


	13. Chapter 13: Beneath a crimson glare

**Chapter 13: Beneath a crimson glare**

A week has passed since that day. Lilly and I have spent nearly every moment together, even a few that, if you believed the doctors word, were a biiiit too strenuous in the shower. A smile graces my face, and I turn to look out the window of the Limo.

We're on our way to the Satou estate, which seems to be surrounded by green hills. Rain pours down, darkening the mid-day sky, and not helping me get the image of Lilly "making sure I could reach my back" out of my head. My hand tightens, squeezing hers. She sits alongside me, and hums happily when I do. She leans against me, laying her head against my shoulder.

"I've never been in a limo." I mutter into her hair. It smells of fresh flowers.

"Truly?" She says. "I suppose that makes sense. It's been a time since I have as well, even longer before I had returned here."

I laugh softly. "Life must have been so hard." She picks her head up and pouts at me, but I pinch her side and she giggles. I try to banish the growing image from my head as I feel the beast inside me pick its head up in interest, and focus on something else that has been plaguing my mind.

"What in the hell were you thinking!?" He had shouted. "You could have been killed, you could have died!"

My father was, understandably, irate. Well, irate is what Lilly had called him. What he actually was was so goddamned furious that I had to hold the phone away from my ears so as to not damage my hearing.

Repeatedly, throughout the conversation, he had threatened to come up to Scotland himself and bring me home, and I, repeatedly, had to tell him that he couldn't. The doctor had warned me that another airplane trip would kill me... which only now occurred to me might be a bit hypocritical to accept that certain form of advice while ignoring another.

It's not like we did anything, though. We really did just shower with one another, nothing more. Okay, maybe a few kisses… nothing past that though. Lilly's teasing had been… relentless. She insisted on keeping ourselves at a manageable pace.

I flick my mind to my father again. Mom had come up and calmed him down, and they both understood the circumstances. I had to get better before I could try to get a plane ride home… and I might never even do that.

Lilly leans against me once more, and her long hair bunching up against me. She kept hinting throughout the week of some sort of plan, but she's kept her lips tightly closed. Her hair really has grown long, it reaches to her waist when she lets it down. I pick my left arm up and around her, leaning her into my chest as I run my hand through her long hair affectionately. I look forward to see the driver's compartment, but the blackout of the window prevents me from seeing the man, Arthur.

A random thought occurs to me. I wonder if Alexander had somehow heard of what occurred. I mean, technically he has access to any sort of information… But Mr. Satou doesn't exactly seem to be the type of man to leave a paper trail. 'You will have charged me medical bills, living expenses, as well more than a few favors with the department to keep you "vacation" off record' he had said…

"You're thinking about something."

I can tell she meant it as a question, but it comes out more as a statement.

"I'm thinking about a lot of somethings." I say. "One of the top being how happy I'll be able to sleep in a normal bed, finally." I pull myself closer to her, tightening my hold.

The rain outside pounds against the windows, and soaks the fields. A bit longer, and I can see a bit of house outside of them. As we get closer, the house expands far more than I'd expected. Even knowing that it must be huge, experiencing it is entirely different. Coming from a city where everybody lived packed together, the Satou mansion could easily house an entire buildings worth of people. We drive up towards the front, circling a fountain which spouts water upwards even now in the pouring rain.

The building looks as if it were a king's castle. The architecture is something easily European, with fine tans and browns populating the walls and windowsills. I imagine that even the Palace of Versailles would not able to measure up to a higher level of eloquence than this.

Stone lions flank the front steps as we pull up and park, which seems an extremely odd thing to me, as if we were about to enter a museum. The front door thumps as Arthur exits.

"Okay, hold my hand. We'll dash through the rain. Are you ready?" I grip her right hand in my left, scooching towards the door.

"Huh? Hisao-" Lilly starts, looking confused.

"Come on!" I fling the door open, which thwacks and bounces back, smacking my arms as I catch it. A loud 'Oomph!' from the other side of the door tells me that the other person wasn't as lucky.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" I say, getting out of the car embarrassed. Rain pours down atop me as Arthur rights himself, standing with his umbrella held up. The front of his suit is soaked from the door smacking him. "I didn't see you."

"Ahem, yes." Arthur says. "A bit obvious. Well, come along. You and Ms. Lilly will have use of this umbrella." He stretches it to me, glaring at me in only the way someone who can't shout at someone may.

"Oh, no, it's just-" I say, beginning to motion for the 15 feet towards the front door.

He clears his throat again, and nods towards Lilly, who is just exiting the vehicle. His eyes dare me to refuse.

"Yea… okay… sorry again." I say, taking it. I hold it over Lilly, who says nothing.

"Quite alright." He says, his blue eyes saying it was anything but. He stalks off, marching back to the front of the car.

Lilly takes my arm and whispers to me. "It's a limo driver's job to open the door and escort passengers." She informs me. "I'm sorry, I should have said something sooner."

"Oh… Uh, it's no problem." I reply, hearing Arthur emphatically closing the door before starting to drive away. "Ugh. Not even in the door and I'm making a terrible impression."

Lilly laughs. "Arthur has endured worse than a car door, I assure you."

As we walk up the remaining steps, a thought occurs to me. "Oh, hey. He spoke Japanese!"

Lilly lets out a cute little giggle, and the grand entrance doors open before us. Two people, a man and a woman, pull the doors back without a sound. Lilly enters without greeting, and I follow her.

The inside of the manor is even more glamorously decorated than that of the outside. A red carpet stretches down towards the door from a long hallway with off branching doors. Suits of armor are on either side of the first doors, one decorated as a knight and the other as a samurai. The archways have a shimmer to them, as if they were golden. Artwork populates the walls, and my earlier idea of a museum floats back to my mind...

(#^ &#%#& Ms. Satou and Mr. Nakai. Welcome two the Satou &&!& .) Says the woman in English, bowing her head with her hand across her chest. I nod my head to her as Lilly responds in English. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time being quiet for a while, as I hadn't even understood the word (welcome) until Lilly practiced with me in the hospital.

She really will be a wonderful teacher someday.

Now it's Lilly's turn to lead me forward. In Japanese, she directs to a few important rooms, but it's a bit overwhelming as I take in some of the beautiful paintings that the Satou's have gracing their main hall. At the end of the hall is a portrait of a man and woman, which takes up practically the entire wall and is framed by what looks to be two ascending staircases on either side. The portrait image seems to be of Mr. Satou, standing alongside a beautiful looking woman who I can only assume is his wife. The woman is sitting in a red velvet seat, with a golden frame, more a throne than a chair. She has short cropped golden blonde hair that is done up in a businesslike manner. It gives her a look that is remarkably Akira like, and even from here I can see the redness of her eyes. It's more than a bit unsettling.

A thought strikes me, as Lilly leads the way forwards towards the portrait. She addresses the rooms off to our left and right, but it just goes over my head as I look at the image.

"Lilly?" I say, interrupting her. I stop and stare ahead at the painting.

"Hmm? Yes?" She asks.

"Your parents." I say, measuredly as I look at the portrait. "They both have red eyes. You have blue eyes."

It's more a question than a statement, which hangs in the air. Lilly tilts her head to the side.

"Red eyes? Hisao, I may be blind, but I did take elementary science. But… I can also tell you're not playing around with me."

"Wait, did you not know? Akira has red eyes as well." I say to her, slightly in disbelief.

"What did I hear about Akira's pretty eyes?" Interrupts a voice, and we both turn towards the portrait to face Akira as she comes down the stairs. She wears a wide smile on her face, and raises her arm up in greeting. "Hisao, please, you shouldn't be talking about how I'm the prettier sister.

"Ha ha." Lilly says, with a pout on her face. "Akira, you are very hilarious." Her voice drips with sarcasm.

"It's wonderful to be with you again as well." Akira says, evidently happy. I notice her lack of the word 'see.' Maybe it was something she learned over time, or maybe she'd done it since she was a child with Lilly. I hope my natural reliance on the word would fade like that.

Lilly puts on a legitimate smile and tips her head towards her sister, who ignores the motion and approaches her giving her a hug. "I missed you this past week." She said, muffled by Lilly's shoulder.

Lilly hugs her back in earnest. "I missed you. Truly. I hope things have been going well here, though."

"Ehhh, work." Akira says, she breaks off the hug and shrugs at me. "I'll be happy to put my new little assistant to work though." She says, winking at me. "How ya feelin, champ?"

"Well, the surgery scar is healing, but it looks like I've been slashed with a sword." I say jokingly. Akira laughs, though I notice Lilly's slight downcast look.

"Aha, a hero of war then? Well, sir knight, allow me to welcome you to the home of the Satou's. Where the unofficial motto is 'You couldn't afford the dirt off our shoes.'"

"Akira." Lilly says, reproachfully.

"Oh, you know I'm joking. Like dad would sell the dirt instead of putting it with the other 'artifacts.'" She laughs, and Lilly also lets her guard down and softly giggles at her sister.

"Artifacts?" I ask.

"You haven't taken him through dad's collection?" Akira asks Lilly.

"No, I don't exactly have a key. We just arrived."

"Ah, yea. Well, allow me to take you on the grand tour before mom comes and harps on me for not showing off how much better we are."

Akira walks off, and I'm about to follow when I see Lilly biting her lip. "Come on, it'll be fine." I whisper to her. She reaches out and grips my arm.

After a pause, she opens her mouth. Then closes it, mulling her words over in her mind. "Please don't let this place affect your opinion of us. I'm still just who I am." She says.

I feel my eyebrow cock in question before I realize the futileness. "Uh, sure?" I say

"Come on, (&$%* ^%$ &)!" Akira shouts from towards the entrance. She's opened a door just to the side of it, and is waving at us.

Lilly starts walking and I follow her step, arm in arm. "Don't worry, you'll always be my Angel." I say. She smiles, but there's a hint of anxiety to her look.

We approach the doorway, and Akira motions inwards.

"Ta – da!" she exclaims, and the sight of the room catches me more than a little off guard. There's multiple display cases set up towards the back, with the closer section having bits of wall put up that display multiple different styles of artwork. Beneath each piece is a small golden plaque, which must be its label.

"Welcome to the Satou gallery of fine arts." Akira says, mocking in tone and in gesture. "Where we have more pieces and better paintings than even the University of London."

"Unless the University of London has an art museum built inside, I think it might…"

"Oh, it does, but this still is. Dad took us when we came back last time." Akira says in exasperation. I look over at Lilly, who's bitten her lip. He took his blind daughter to an art gallery? To what? Show off?

"Yup." Akira continues. I look over at her and see her motion to Lilly with her head, as if making a point that she'd read my mind. She scoffs and raises her hand. "What you see before you is the finest artwork in the nations. Many famous artists grace these halls, and it would be our pleasure for you to inspect them." She says with a mockingly snobby accent.

"Akira… You mustn't-" Lilly starts.

"It's alright, Lilly. I should see this stuff, if your parents love it all so much."

"It's just pictures…" she says, but she follows along as I walk forwards.

I have never felt so awkward. Being berated by Mr. Satou would be easier than this, as I walk down a center lane of paintings that all have various labels and swashes of paint. Most of the artwork seem European, Renaissance if I had to guess, although I recognize a few Eastern pieces' style from classes and history books long forgotten. None of them really catch my eye, as I'm intent on hurrying through this as quickly as possible.

Why am I even doing this? A look backwards at Akira as she inspects a painting that is actually rather beautiful. The image is done almost entirely in a light orange, and brings forth feelings of a morning sun, whilst the image itself depicts a winged woman reaching through an open window towards a human child. The image is titled 'The Fairy Thief: by Pascal Hervé. Recovered from the Louvre.' I pray a silent thank you that my ability to understand written English is better than hearing the odd pronunciations. Akira looks upon the image with a smirk that doesn't reach her eyes. Instead, they look tense, and rueful. "Heh." She laughs to herself. She looks over at me. "Fitting, isn't it?"

I shrug, not entirely sure of what she means. She just nods to herself and looks back from the painting, whilst I'm more wondering how someone 'Recovers' a piece of art from one of the most prestigious art galleries in the world.

"Come on." Akira says, apparently darker in her mood, the smile no longer gracing her face. The rain from outside makes it seem extremely fitting, but worrying all the same.

"Akira…" Lilly trails off. Apparently, she too was at a loss for words over her sister's apparent mood shift.

"And this, Mr. Nakai, is our display area." Says Akira, ignoring her sister as she leads us to the next section. Glass cases rise to almost double my height, where two suits of armor stand on raised pedestals. Another set of Samurai armor, but I can see that the armor is dinged and slashed with marks in areas. The other set of armor is leathery, with a long wig placed upon the manikin instead of a helmet. Scottish, it must be.

Behind that, a long row of display cases sits at waist level. Akira approaches it and looks down upon a collection that would make a jeweler salivate. Sparkling gems of all colors glisten, lit by a backlight. The greyness of the outside light somehow compliments it, the darker ambiance making the jewels shine even more attractively. Once again, they're all labeled. I find myself much more enthralled by the beautiful trinkets than I had the art, but a small sigh besides me reminds me of what is happening… I look over at Lilly, whose blind eyes are shut as she faces the beautiful trinkets that she'll never see.

"Beautiful, right?" Akira asks. But she's not looking at the jewelry. She's looking at me.

"Yea. She is." I squeeze Lilly's hand, and her face tilts for in question, twisting toward my own. After a moment, she smiles and squeezes my hand back.

"If your father has a pride and joy, it should be you two." I say, the words coming from my mouth as the enter my mind.

Akira nods, a small smile on her face.

"My my, Hisao. You mustn't say such things." Lilly says. The small smile on her own face as she cups it with her free hand, as well as her the light red tinge to her cheeks, betray her true feelings.

"I think that's enough artwork for today." Akira says, a bit lighter now. "The old man's in a meeting, so I'll let you two get situated. Arthur has probably brought your stuff to your room by now, so go head on up. I'll call you when we're ready to start working." She begins walking off without another word, and Lilly and I are left in a priceless art gallery by ourselves.

"Oh man…" I whine softly to myself.

"What is it, Hisao?" Lilly asks, a flash of concern crossing over her face.

"I am so totally going to accidentally break something in here…"

"So, your father…" I say, trailing off.

"Yes?" Lilly asks.

"He's not exactly the most modest guy, is he?"

Lilly and I are walking down the hall towards the staircases. The giant portrait looms over us, as if both the elder Satous were watching us. Lilly hums in thought, characteristically picking her words before she spoke as we walk ever nearer to the image. As we approach, it is clear that neither of the Satou parents had chosen to really smile for their portrait. Instead, Mr. Satou looks as if he were simply tolerating that he was taking part in the act. Mrs. Satou has a smirk that again makes me think of Akira, as it radiates confidence. I can see now though that her hair is lighter than Akira's, something she must share with Lilly… Or maybe she dies it that way? Whatever it is, it suits her. For clothing, they'd both wore black and red for the image. Mr. Satou in a black suit with red tie, and Mrs. with a black shirt and skirt with a red business jacket with golden buttons.

"I wouldn't say that he's very modest, no. He's exceptionally proud of all he's achieved, though that hasn't changed his ambition either." Ever the cover answer. She'd make a good politician.

"I just ask because the portrait." I say. Lilly directs us right, and we start up the stairs.

"Portrait?" Lilly asks.

"Yea." I quickly realize that nobodies told her about it. "Oh, umm, your parents have a giant portrait of themselves in-between the staircases."

"Oh…" Lilly says. We walk up the rest of the stairs, and Lilly slightly tugs me to the right. "Not very modest indeed."

We walk along, passing a pillar and a set of double doors on the right that look as if they were guarding a bank vault. I decide to not point out how little people seem to have informed her of her home by asking about it. We continue on to the end of the hall, passing a man in a suit that bids us hello.

The wing of the house that we enter starts making me think of hotels. It's a nice spot, a long carpet stretches down the center and there's gold colored lanterns giving of a soft light to the deep red and brown surroundings but it doesn't have a homey feel. A table with expensive looking pottery reminds me that this place will most likely be the financial death of me.

Then, I remember that I'm walking along with a blind woman, and I once again close my mouth. It's then that I notice just how close she walks arm in arm with me, and I realize just how much she likely desires to have her cane in hand.

"It's nice that your parents kept you and Akira rooms here." I say, trying to get the topic out of my mind.

"Oh… well, sort of. We never lived here, Akira and I, until now." She replies.

"Oh. Well we must be staying somewhere."

She giggles. "Of course, we won't be staying on the floor. There are a multitude of guest rooms that my parents keep. I assume that we'll be staying in-"

She's cut off as I yank her back, as a figure that had quickly rounded the corner surprises us as much as we apparently surprise him.

"Oh, hello Ms. Satou. Mr. Nakai." Says Arthur, bowing to each of us respectively.

"Good evening, Arthur." She says formally. "We were just heading to our room.

"Ah, yes. You'll both be staying in guest room number three, at the end of the hall on the left."

Lilly tilts her head in question. "Number three? But that only has a single bed…"

"Yes." Arthur replies. Lilly waits for him to continue, but the man seems as buttoned up as his jacket on the topic.

"Why will we not be in Guest room one?"

Arthur, looking past her, replies. "Mr. Coward and his wife are currently staying there. That is the only room with a queen sized bed, after all. Your father had intended to divide you into multiple rooms, but he tells me that you insist on bedding together."

Lilly sets her face, a scowl taking place of her normally glad look. "And will we be permitted to move to room one after the Cowards disembark back to their own abode?"

"Your father has said that after the Cowards leave, that I must keep the room clear in case anyone else will be in need of it. To be fair to him, he didn't plan on you bringing a…" Arthur breaks his forward stare and looks directly at me. His icy blue glare rakes me over. "Guest."

My fist clenches. "Look man, I'm sorry I didn't see-"

"Arthur, you will address my 'Guest' with the proper respect afforded to a member of this household, because for all intents and purposes he IS one. If I hear you so much as grumble about it, I do not care how much of Mother's pet you are, I will have you on the street. Is that understood?" I look over at Lilly in slight amazement. Her soft angelic features look as hard and as sharp as if hewn from stone.

I expect Arthur to bark back at her, for anger to mask his face, but instead it goes blank in its entity. "Yes Ms. I apologize for my rude behavior." His voice is as natural as his face, which even I know as a sign that he disagrees with her. I also know, though, that it also means that he will still follow it.

"Excellent." Lilly smiles, the bitter smile of the cobra that has a mouse walk into it's den. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, I would like for you to go before father and tell him that his daughter asks that he and her future husband be allowed to migrate to the larger room once it has been vacated."

"Yes, Ms. Right away."

Arthur bows his head towards us and moves off. As she leaves, it's very apparent that Lilly is listening carefully to him, just waiting to hear a whispered complaint.

"Woof." I say.

Lilly quickly rounds on me, her hair whipping behind her as she does so and a scowl set into her hard face. She says nothing for a moment, and her look of anger slightly cracks. She bites her cheek, but a smile starts to grace her face, and she giggles. Then she lets out a soft laugh, which last much longer than it probably deserved. "Yes, hehehe. Woof. That describes that quite well. Come on, let's find out just how… intimate, we will become."

"Hey, don't threaten me with a good time." I say jokingly, which she lightly laughs at once more as we walk down the hall. She pulls herself closer to me, her head placed into my shoulder.

"Oh Hisao. What would I ever do without you?"

"Me? What would I ever do without you?" I ask, playing on her good mood. "Without you, I might have actually been forced to join the student counsel."

Lilly giggles, placing her hand to her face. "Truly, a worrisome fate." Her smile fades as we walk, with something apparently taking hold of her mind. "Shizune is often right though." She said, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What do you mean?" I ask. Admitting defeat is something entirely unlike Lilly.

"Oh, just something her and her brother spoke to me about. Before I left. Before I never thought we'd be together again." With the last sentence, she squeezes my arm, pulling herself to me. It makes it a bit harder to walk, but I'm not about to start complaining.

A part of me feels like I should just leave it here, but I feel the ever growing need to know taking hold as we approach the room. "Last on the left. We're here." I say. I reach forward and twist the knob, which gives way easily. The room is… well, it's not short, at least. The ceiling towers above us, with a large window on the right letting in the shine of the… gray murky weather. The rain thunks against it, but it's not as loud as it could be. I guess.

The room itself is, honestly, small. A singlet bed of in the back right corner, with a side table to the left of it. There is two long dressers, one to the left and one to the right, and a wardrobe in the back left. There's a pile of male clothing stacked neatly on the left dresser, and feminine clothing on the right, along with a few bags. I step forward to the wardrobe, and see a mixture of dress shirts as well as dress… dresses. Arthur had evidentially sorted these into their spots. I should probably try on the clothing… just to make sure it fit.

"Hisao?" Lilly asks.

"Yea, sorry. Just looking around. Well, it's not too bad. We'll spend a lot of time cuddling, it seems." She smiles at that.

"Can you help me sort through my bags?"

"Of course, Angel." I say. I move over to her spot, and begin unpacking. I quickly realize that the Satou family doesn't give a damn about airline weight fees, as she had apparently packed her entire room into her bag. There's at least two stacks worth of braille books, including a few smaller looking ones that I can tell are plays by the name William Shakespeare. Even in Japan, his work was well known. "If you don't mind me asking, what did Shizune say?" I ask as I pile it all up on top of her dresser.

"It's not… well…" The question seems to take her off guard, and she needs a moment to mull it over. "Ugh, I wish we had a book case…" she says, as she runs her hands over the books. I know she's still thinking about the question, and after her chillyness earlier I'm a bit hesitant to rush her. Finally, she starts. "She asked me why I was leaving. Why I was leaving you." Lilly says.

"Oh…" I reply lamely. "Well, what did you say?"

Lilly sits down heavily on the bed, drawing my attention to her instead of the clothes I'd been placing in a drawer. Her face is as downcast as the weather, and I can see her eyes starting to tear.

"I-it's not like I wanted to." She says, her voice cracking. "I wanted to stay, I did. I've always loved you, but I just… I just."

Music fills the room, and she stops. The familiar chiming of a small tune obviously takes her by surprise. I approach the bed, music box in hand, and place it in hers. She places it to the side and grips for my shirt, grabbing the air before she pulls me to her. She burries her face into my waist, and I grip her back as I hug her. Silently this time, I feel her cry.

"Hey… Hey… I'm here now, aren't I? I'm not going anywhere. I told you I'd be with you, always, and here I am now. Here I'll always be."

She silently heaves. "It's not that… I left you. I left Japan. I left Hanako. People were counting on me and I… and I…"

"And you did what you thought was right." I finish for her, solidly. I grip her head and pull her back, placing my face directly in front of hers. I have no idea if the feeling of eye contact will work, but I try it. "You did what you thought was right, and I came after you. We're together now, that's all that matters."

"B-but-"

"That is all that matters." I say, firmly.

The girl that looked made of stone earlier now looks like she's made of glass. A fine structure, a beautiful one, but one that may shatter if you so much as breathe on it. She sniffles and wipes at her. "You're right… you're right… I'm sorry. My father's such a… such a…"

"Jerk?" I suggest.

"Asshole." She says. I flinch at hearing the rare curse from her mouth, and she whips her head back and forth, her long hair flying about and landing messily in her face. "This room is meant for drunks to sleep off their hang over at one of their parties, not for two young adults to live in. We can probably barely stand together in here without bumping into something. I have to memorize the entire structure to this house again, taking in each step and counting through, and chances are I'll still end up walking into the bathroom when I'm trying to find our room."

I begin looking around, a new thought striking me. "Oh hey, where IS the bathroom?"

"It's the room right next door. Through that wall. If we can hear the shower going when someone uses it, I swear, I might start screaming."

"Wait, how often do your parents throw parties?" I ask her.

"When we were here last, they hadn't thrown a one. Arthur told us offhandedly how odd it was having just a few days without one, so I imagine there is normally one every week."

"Well… I mean, at least we're at the end of the hall." I say, trying to find a bright side. "There won't be anyone around us."

She groans. "… I suppose. God, I am so glad you're here with me." I pick up the music box and move it over to the bedside table, leaving it open.

"Mhmm, we'll get through this together. After all, it's not like we'll be here forever. And you'll be going to school or something, right? For your teaching license?"

"Yes… I still need to cross that bridge. There are accommodating universities in the area. Prestigious, in fact. Though, teaching English speakers English is a bit different than teaching Japanese students…" She begins laughing. "Scottish speakers can probably use the assistance though."

I laugh too, though the joke is about a mile over my head. "See?" I quickly bite my own tongue, and luckily she doesn't seem to notice. "We'll get through this."

"Yea… yes, you're right." She replies. She smiles at me, and it warms my heart. "I love you, Hisao."

"I love you too, Lilly." I take her hand and pick her up off the bed. We clasp at one another in a hug.

"Oh, I almost forgot." She says, breaking the embrace. "With your new clothing, is there a pair of red shorts and a white t-shirt?"

I go over to the pile. Sure enough, mixed in with all the nice dress shirts and dress pants, is 3 normal plain white t-shirts and two pairs of red running shorts.

"There's a few pairs," I say back to her "but yea."

"Hmm, I must thank Akira, then. She's the one who picked those up for me." She saunters over to me, a sway to her hips of the matriarchically side. She pushes her hair back behind her, and then wraps her hands around my head in a sort of hug. "You, my dear, are going to be making use of those clothing. The doctor told me that you would need to start light, but that if you were to have any chance at a long life, you would need to have proper exercise. Something that somebody," she says, emphasizing the word, "left out."

"Well… I mean…" I start to say.

"Upupup, no excuses. Hisao, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to have children with you, to grow for decades with you. You made it plain and clear to me over these past few weeks. I am not living my life and you are not living yours anymore. We are living our life, together. I will not have that cut short if I can help it, and I assure you that if there is one thing I can control here it is this."

I laugh a bit, more of a self-depreciating one than anything. "I guess you have me there." I say.

"You will not be in this alone," she continues. "I have my own clothing, and will be joining you for daily walks until you can get up to running, which I will still stay outside with you waiting. We have our own path in the back that is rarely used, and a small sitting area. I can't exactly run along with you," she blinks her eyes for emphasis, "but I will still be with you."

I groan, but it's for show. "Yes mother." I say. She pouts, but I grab her by the waist and kiss her lips.

She kisses me back, again and again. Our lips part, and we envelop one another, pulling tightly and ferociously. Neither of us have had any sexual release, it's all been pent up, and I can feel the beast screaming for me to hurry, faster, to tear her clothing from her and lay her on the bed. I feel my heart starting to beat faster, but I don't care. I want, I need Lilly. I need her long hair draped over my face as she is on top of me, to feel her smooth bare skin beneath my-

A loud buzz interrupts us, and I jump, looking wildly towards the door. The buzz comes again, and it turns out to be from a black box in the wall that I hadn't noticed.

"Phooey." Lilly says. "That's the intercom. Someone's trying to get ahold of us."

I get up and walk over to the intercom, which buzzes a third time impatiently. "Phooey?"

She sticks her tongue out at me as I press the button, answering. "Hello?"

"Mr. Nakai." Arthur's voice rings out from the intercom. "Master Satou requests your presence in his office."

"Uh, sure. I'll be right there." I reply. A sharp crack indicates that the intercom is no longer transmitting. "Huh, this is a pretty handy thing." I say, looking over the black box. There are a series of buttons at the bottom, each labeled with different room names. Kitchen, Security, and the other guest rooms are labeled. My guess is that the more important intercoms can contact more rooms.

"I'll be able to escort you." Lilly says, standing from the bed.

"Nah, that's alright. I think I saw it earlier, off of the staircase." I say. "You've had a long day, and we still have to unpack. Here." I say, going to her bag. I pull her shortened cane from it, and bring it to her. "In case you need to get around. We can both use a rest for tonight. I'll be back soon."

Lilly bites her lip. "You're sure?"

"Of course." I say, trying my best to sound cheerful. I lean down and kiss her on the cheek. "I'll return shortly, and we can cuddle nice and close tonight." I say. She giggles, and a slight red blush appears on her face.

"Maybe a little more than cuddle, if that was anything." She says.

I laugh happily, and kiss her again. "I love you. Be right back."

She smiles and nods, and I walk out of the room. I make a right and head down the hall. The suited man from earlier is standing at the end, next to a door. (Mr. Nakai. %!&& ^ Satou #!& & %& me two %&&^ you #% your *!*)

I try to shrug at him, which I'm not sure it gets the message across. (I do not speak English very well. I am sorry.) I repeat the rehearsed line that Lilly had taught me in the hospital. He nods, and extends his hand to the left, and begins walking. He must want me to follow him.

We walk on, past where I had thought the office might be, with the large steel doors. We approach the staircase and make a right, turning a small corner into a long hallway. Sliding doors to the right are Japanese in style, and the man pulls one open for me. Mr. Satou is sitting inside, directly behind the door at a desk. He has a paper in his hand, and is wearing a pair of reading glasses as he skims over it with his dark red eyes. I approach the desk, saying nothing as to not interrupt.

While the doors are Japanese, the room seems to be an odd mixture of the two. The walls of the room are a brownish yellow, which compliments either of the sides. To the left is a sitting area, with what looks like a bamboo floor and a table placed upon the ground, in a traditionalist Japanese way. To the right is a leather couch, where upon sits a tanned Caucasian man, with thinning brown hair swept backwards from his forehead. He stands up, and I determine he must be a bit under 2 meters tall, but still quite a few centimeters larger than me. He's a bit bulky as well, a mixture of strength and obvious pleasure from a rich lifestyle. He wears a dark blue suit with a white undershirt. He smiles warmly at me. "Mr. Nakai." He says in Japanese. "My name is John Coward. I'm the CEO of Angelo Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Satou says you'll be working with us now?"

(Oh. Yes. Sir.) I attempt to speak in English. Satou still is reading the paper, apparently oblivious to the usage of either language.

"It's alright, son." Coward says. "Until recently, we had a large operation in Japan. I speak the language well enough. I'm glad to hear that you'll be working under our head lawyer. He's a fine man."

Angelo Pharmaceuticals… I could swear I'd heard that name before. My mind knows better than to wander right now though.

(Mr. Satou has re-re… Mr. Satou has asked dat I say English in hss home.) I say. I mentally kick myself at forgetting the word for request.

"Ahh, I understand." He says, and gives Mr. Satou a sly look. "Well, I will leave you two to it. Have fun, Hisao. It's good to meet you."

(You as well.) I say. I bow my head to the man, who pulls the door open, and slides it shut behind him. I look ahead at Mr. Satou, and silently wait until he is ready to speak.


	14. Chapter 14: Wine & women, swords & song

**Chapter 14: Wine and women, swords and song**

When I was flying over Paris, the sound of the private jet was a noise like I had never experienced. The sound was ever present and all encompassing, a loud howl as we sailed through the air Kilometers above the streets below. The noise was one of the loudest things I'd ever heard, a true testament to the technological advances of mankind.

This sound, the sound of silence, was much, MUCH, more piercing. It surrounds us, and I can feel the veritable weight of it weighing down upon me. Like Atlas, I stand holding up the weight of the sky. Slowly, it crushes down, and after a minute, two minutes, three, I can feel my posture begin to crack. Five minutes pass, and I feel myself wanting to break, to walk over to the position where Coward had sat and sit myself. Satou stares on at the paper, blinking ever so often. His red eyes are a deeper red than Akira's, and they gaze at the paper in an almost bored like fashion. He sits casually in his chair, reading the… wait… no.

His eyes remain locked on a position of the paper, a position close towards the corner, closest to where I stand. He isn't reading at all. He, like me, is waiting. Waiting for what? Waiting for me to crack? Waiting for me to say something? Does he want me to say something? Does he want me to wait? Maybe this is a test of my patience, then again maybe it's one of my courage. I keep my face blank, mulling over what to do. I'm more than a bit angry, and the bottling of the emotion is beginning to grow out of check, though I remain. This is a battle of wills, I decide. I set my jaw and stare forwards.

I will not be outdone.

I will not be outdone.

The words flash in my mind, right alongside the stars. Shouting from the surrounding area gives me energy, and I struggle back to my feet.

I taste blood in my mouth, my arms ache, my stomach more, and a part of me wants to crumple on the floor and let the darkness take me.

A low gruff voice, the instructor or the referee, barks what sounds like an order, but I can't hear what he says. Too focused, am I, on the twin tailed girl, hopping back and forth on plastic springs, wooden sword gripped tightly in her hands with a cocky grin. I feel my own hands tighten around the handle of my blunted wooden blade, and the irritation of that smirk, that I'm better than you look, fills me like a hot fire.

'Live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds.'

I stride forward, the long black robe billowing around me legs, and pull the sword back and to the right. Darting to the left, I bring the blade horizontally directly towards her center. She blocks it, using both hands, but the force is enough to push her own blade directly towards her face. Quickly sliding the blade with me, I turn, bringing my leg out and kicking at the mechanical prosthetic. I catch her directly in the knee, and the leg out from beneath her, and she falls with a look of surprise.

Quickly, I place my blade to her throat, horizontally, with just enough pressure to be uncomfortable. She blinks her eyes, having hit her head, and peers down at the blade at her neck. The gong sounds, signaling the end of the match.

She scowls at the wooden sword. "That's cheating." Said Emi Ibarazaki.

The sound of clapping interrupts my reply, and the class instructor approaches us. "In Kendo, yes." He says, nodding his head. "But this is not a Kendo class. Nor is it even a sword fighting class, or your friend Ms. Tezuka would be at an extreme disadvantage. This is a self-defense fighting course, and if you are faced with life and death, you must be willing to do anything to survive. Sometimes the best way to be defensive, is to be offensive, as Ms. Enomoto just showed."

There's a small applause from the surrounding group, and I draw my blade back from Emi's throat. I extend a hand to her. She takes it, though with a notable scowl. We both move to the center of the circle, and bow. Then, we move to take our seats.

Normally, I'd sit by myself and meditate whilst the next round went on, but instead I go over to Emi. Rin, who normally sat with her, is currently up for her own duel. I take her vacated seat, as Emi prys the prosthetic from her leg that I had kicked out. She rubs her hand gingerly over the stump.

"Any damage?" I ask, sitting down.

She's silent for a moment, but sighs. "No. Luckily. Mom would kill me if I had. She'd kill me if she knew I was here." She reaches into her bag and takes out a bottle of some sort of lotion. She palms the substance, and rubs it on the stump awkwardly.

"Here, let me do that." I say. Before she can protest, I move closer to her, gripping her leg. I run my hand over the already applied lotion, rubbing it in, as she uses the ground behind her to stabilize herself. I rub the lotion in, and she lets out a small groan as I do.

"That feels really nice…" She says.

"I imagine it would." I reply. "You're always hopping about, it's surprising there's anything left here." Her leg feels almost callused, the skin rough against my touch.

"Well, I gotta. I'm the fastest thing on no legs. Now I just gotta try to add best fighter to that list of titles." She said, with a smirk.

"Best sword fighter, maybe. But I don't think you could beat-"

The sound of a gong interrupts me, and I turn to see the fight has begun. This round was strictly for unarmed combat, and I watch as Rin Tezuka stands motionless, her black robes covering most of her body. Her opponent, a boy named Toshin, comes forward at her with his fists held up, like a boxer. He quickly hops forwards on the balls of his feet, intent on closing the distance. Rin simply stands still, staring straight ahead like a statue.

The boy was stood quite a bit taller than her, and held much more upper power. He obviously intended on using her disadvantage at being able to block to his own.

Rapidly, he closed the distance, just as Rin twirled and lifted herself into the air. With a sickening crack, Rin's foot shot out, slamming into the boys head as he brought up his arm to try and block it. It's probably all what kept him from having his neck snapped. He's sent sprawling to the side, and falls outside of the ring. The official gong rings, instructing that the match has ended.

She looks over at the teacher as he approaches, the same impassive look on her face. He applauds her as well, and the class follows.

The instructor turns and addresses the class. "Many of you have weaknesses, let Ms. Tezuka here remind you that some of those weaknesses may be your greatest strength." Rin walked over to Toshin and cocked her head as he struggled to his feet. He waggled his head back and forth dizzily, and stuck out his arm to shake. Rin grinned, and raised the stump of her arm, placing it in the boy's hand. He quickly dropped it, backing away and bowing, rapidly apologizing as Rin let out a small "Heh."

A boiling point. That's what this is. That's what Dad used to call it when Mom had gotten so mad that she clamped shut. I too, seem to have reached that. My mind knows that I couldn't have been standing here more than 5 minutes, though it feels more like twenty.

60 seconds in a minute. 60 times 5 is 280. Two hundred and eighty seconds, standing here doing nothing.

Finally, Mr. Satou clears his throat. He sets down the paper, and nods in apparent approval.

(You are a ^!&# %& man. #&# ^ &#!&, or you are a & ^*#%# man. #&# ^ one will do.) He says. His voice is deep, gruff. If he is the head lawyer of a corporation, he must speak often… I wonder if he talks to everyone in such a manner.

Honestly unsure of what he says, I stand still, looking at him now. I don't let anything show on my face. Still, the anger festers inside me, that he'd waste my time like this. But, then again, I suppose I have nothing but time to waste.

He stands from his desk, his finger sliding against the roof of where his legs were, which I can't help but notice. He motions to my right, towards the European side of the room. For a moment, I think that we'll be sitting on the couch, but instead the a Red door pops out of the wall, held by a man that looked more like a bouncer than anything else. Behind him, I hear laughter and the sound of music, and can see that the room beyond glows with a soft red.

"Now, Mr. Nakai." Satou says, in Japanese. "Would you join me for a drink in our Redwood room?"

Something I learned from Lilly, is that sometimes silence is the best answer. I do not know what to say, so I say nothing as Satou extends his arm towards the room, simply advancing. The bouncer ahead of us nods his head in greeting to me, and closes the door behind us as we enter the room.

It's not an especially large room, rather it's honestly a bit cramped. Yet the feeling of enclosure adds more to a sense of coziness rather than a sense of discomfort. The room seems to be made from, well, red wood. Polished well, it shines with the warmth of a circular fireplace that takes up the corner of the room. The gray sky and rain against the window are a constant reminder of the storm outside, which makes the room all the more appealing. Across from the entrance is a bar, a man in dressed serving gear standing behind it pouring a glass. To our right is a small stage, with a few guys in tuxedos playing a sort of… jazz music? I've heard it before, but never live. A black man playing a saxophone seems to be the group's leader. He does well, the music invites a soft and calm atmosphere. A small table of men with drinks are chatting loudly next to the stage, not really paying attention to the music but no doubt enjoying the ambience.

Satou walks past me, beckoning for me to follow. We approach the bar as the group lets out a howl of laughter at a something, but Satou ignores them.

"Here you are, sir. Saw you coming." Says the server. He slides the drink to Satou, who holds it up. In the firelight, the alcohol has a maple like look to it. A light and appetizing bronze, which surrounds the ice that clinks in the glass.

"Have you ever had brandy, Hisao?" Satou asks, once again, in Japanese. I shake my head in way of response.

(No.) I say, in English.

Satou smiles. It looks more like a wolf than it does someone that's happy. "I do admire the effort, really." He says. "However, I need to speak with you on a personal level. I will permit the usage of our native tongue with me, this time. Between the two of us."

I wait for a moment, and do my best to hide the hesitation. "Y-yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Satou nods, pleased. "What is your drink of choice?" He asks. The bar tender stands at the ready.

"Umm, well, I was underage back in Japan, sir. I've only really ever had wine."

Satou nods his head, and orders a drink from the bar tender on my behalf. The server quickly rushes off.

"He'll be back in a moment." Satou says.

He gestures towards the fire side, where a few chairs are. We sit in front of the sparkling flame, and I find myself enthralled with it. Staring into the fire, it only seems a moment before the bar tender returns and places a tray on the side table of a bottle of wine and a glass, as well as an ice bucket. He uncorks the bottle and pours a tad bit into the glass. It's a deep dark red color, with hints of violet. He pulls back and waits… Assuming he's waiting for me, I pick the glass up, cupping the bowl, and drink it.

It's less than a mouthful, and goes down easily. For the few moments it passed through my mouth, the fruity taste of the alcohol was pleasant. "Mhmm, that's good."

The waiter smirks, nods his head, and I place the glass back down. He fills the cup to about half of what it can hold, and the pulls back again. "If I may suggest, sir, holding the glass by its steam is generally how you would go about this. Holding the bowl will warm the glass with your hands, thereby spoiling the wine. And do try to savor the taste. This liquid is older than you are."

"Oh… umm… sure?" I say, trying to remember that. I knew there were tricks to it, but wine has always just been wine to me. It's just a drink, after all.

A pang in my chest sends my hand worriedly rubbing it, and a warmth spreads through my ears. It's not pain though, not like I've ever felt in my heart… I think Lilly just heard my thoughts.

Satou has sat silently through the exchange, staring out the window. As I take another sip of the wine, this time holding the glass, I swish it around slightly in my mouth. The server was right, it is better this way.

"My daughter." Mr. Satou says, pausing. "My daughter is… important to me. To us." No doubt, he means his wife. "She means the world to Akira, and it is extraordinarily self-evident that she means more to her than myself or her mother ever could."

I'm about to nod my head, before I catch myself and realize just how much agreeing with that could cause an issue, even if it is correct.

"She's a Satou by blood, but her nature is… different. She is rebellious, whilst Akira knows the effort that we must go through and that it is better to sometimes bend knee. I am glad that you already know this." He says. He lifts his glass up to his face, and takes another drink. His crimson eyes still focus on the window, the rain falling against it. A reminder of standing, waiting for him as he tested my patience, sets a scowl on my face. He either doesn't notice it, or ignores is.

"I will be blunt, Hisao. Lilly does not and cannot serve our family in the way Akira does. She is limited by her lack of sight, and by her… attitude."

A scowl fights its way onto my face. I bite my tongue.

'You just don't like that she stood up to you.' I bite my tongue harder.

"However, if anything were to happen to her, Akira would also be lost to us. To ensure our happiness, we must ensure hers. Do you understand?"

I don't know whether he wants a true response to the question. Frankly, I don't care.

"Actually sir, I'm afraid I don't."

A part of me shouts in my mind, asking what I'm doing, that I'm relying on these people. But the trickle has turned into a flood.

"I do not understand what you mean by limited. Lilly has never let her sight limit her, and you imposing those limits on her when you've barely interacted with her in unjustified. If she knew what you just told me-"

"If she knew, it'd break her. Which is why you won't tell her." Satou said. His crimson eye daring me to say differently, his brow furrowed.

"If she knew, she'd be disgusted." I say. I can feel nervousness in my body, but I force myself on. "Lilly would not become broken. She could carry the weight of the world on her shoulders, and you'd never notice. She's not this weak delicate flower, and pardon ME for being blunt, but I will not let you insult the woman I love."

Satou simply looks at me. His crimson eyes threaten, but he makes no sign of responding.

I continue on. "If your name and business is so important, than that's what it is. I will pay you back as quickly as I can. And once I do, once I complete this and Lilly graduates, we will leave. And don't expect us to come back."

Satou just looks on. It's not anger in his face so much as disdain.

"I owe you my life. I get that, I know that. But Lilly is not just a figure. She's a hell of a lot more than anything you seem to have expected."

Satou says nothing for a moment, his gaze shifting towards the fire. "I am seeing that." He said after a moment. "You are not wrong, Hisao. I am happy that she has someone willing to stand up for her." A smile tugging at the corner of his mouth shows that he's smiling. Immediately, I know I've been played.

I let out a tense laugh, and Satou turns, eyebrow cocked with a smirk on his face. "Yea, I will. Though her actions will speak more for herself than I ever could."

"We shall see." He says.

The lights suddenly dim, and a metal cover slowly rises to cover the fireplace's open mouth. Satou turns towards the stage as his guests let out a few whoops. A spotlight that'd been over the fire pit gives light, and illuminates a door to the side of the stage.

Satou stands, making his way over, and I follow curiously. Satou waves me to a seat and walks to the door as it opens.

When I had first laid eyes on Lilly, I couldn't help but compare her to an Angel. The woman that steps through that door inspires the complete opposite thought. The spotlight pans as a tall woman, long dark blonde wavy hair over her shoulder. Her lips shin bright red, same as her eyes, and the color is complimented by her sparkling red dress. All bright reds, all shining in the spotlight. The dress hugs her body, outlining every curve. Its strapless, pulled tight over her large breasts, showing off her skinny waist, and flaring out with her hips. The woman is… well-endowed. She shows off a fair amount of cleavage as she bends over to kiss her husband on the cheek, to the pleasure of a few men in the audience.

Mrs. Satou looks much different than she had in her portrait, but no less beauteous. She is dressed in something akin that what I'd imagine that only the devil could create to tempt even the most celibate of men.

The dress is long and flowing, except of a cut at her hip, flowing down her long ivory skin. She saunters over to the stage, approaching a central microphone. A few people whistle as she walks up the short step.

She stands at center stage, gripping the microphone with her hands with her eyes closed, as the band behind her begins to play.

The song opens up with the strumming of the bass. The repetition of the cords setting a low and quick tone. The percussion blows, three quick notes, and stops. The bass keeps strumming, rhythmically. Again, they blow, the same three notes.

 _Little boy, accept what you see._

 _This burning light, inside of me._

 _Little boy, accept what you see._

 _Stand your ground, now don't you flee._

She steps forward, down the step, and off of the stage. The spotlight tracks her every move.

 _These gears are always turning,_

 _And I'm not just hot, I'm burning_

She passes a hand over her chest and down her thin waist, sauntering towards the table of men.

 _For a little taste, a nibble_

 _So stop with your senseless drivel_

She leans forwards towards a man, who leans at her. She snatches his glass from his hand, and downs it, throwing her head back. She wipes her lips with the back of her hand, placing the glass back on the table. The rest of the men laugh, and Satou himself looks amused. Mrs. Satou continues, but I space out on the next lyric as I gaze at him. His deep red eyes shine in the darkness, and the image of a wolf comes back to me. A hunter in the dark.

 _Little boy, look at me_

 _I feel like you, must agree._

My eyes dart back to Mrs. Satou, who is staring directly at me. With her free hand she points at me, as she advances over.

 _We're a pair, we're a mess_

 _We stand on this wave, up on its crest_

She walks closer, closer, her hand brushing against the side of my face. The heat of the spotlight spreads across my skin as she brings her face close to me. She's bent over, and I have to fight my eyes back from looking upon her chest.

 _Little boy, feel my breath_

 _Whilst at you back, stands Mr. Death._

She smiles, wickedly. Twisting quickly enough that her dress flairs up and I catch a glimpse of a Red sparkling thong as she saunters back to the stage. The men howl like dogs at the display of her shaking her hips whilst she walks.

 _Little boy, grasp my hand._

 _And I'll lead you, to the Promised Land_

 _Little boy, follow me._

 _I promise I will set you free._

She elongates the last two words, posing seductively back upon her stage with her head tilted backwards and her chest sticking out into the air. The music reaches a crescendo, and the spotlight cuts out, darkness consuming the stage. The men and Mr. Satou all rise, giving applause and cheers.

Karla. That was her name. That's what the men had said to Mr. Satou, congratulations and envy written on their faces. After the number, Satou had declared the night to be finished, and thanked everyone for coming out. He led them to the door of his office, and exited in the front of the pack. Karla stood on her stage as the band packed up around her. She waved to the party goers as they all exited, and I found himself at the end of the line. I turned back to look at the woman, who smiled and blew me a kiss. Blushing furiously, I walk out of the room.

Satou bids his guests farewell at the stairs, and holds one of the men by the shoulder who looked more than a bit intoxicated.

I walk past quickly. The fire in me against the man had gone out, as I did my best to clear my… over imaginative mind.

I round the corner to the hall where Lilly and I were staying. Walking down the length of the hallway, I hear a door open. Out of the door just across from our room comes Akira herself. She exits her room wrapped only in a towel, her slender body otherwise naked. She looks over at me as she closes the door behind her and grins.

"Hey hey, how ya doin buddy? What'd the old man want to talk to you about?"

The blush on my face deepens as Akira stretches her arm back over her head, flicking her hair to the side. I silently thank God that Lilly was the one who inherited her mother's… asset.

"Uh, hey. He wanted to just talk. Um, is there a shower in there?" I say, motioning towards the bathroom

"Oh yea, I was just… You know what, you go ahead and use it. Lilly told me to let you know she was going to get to sleep. It's a bit early, but she said you two had some plans early tomorrow."

A look down at my watch shows it's just past ten. I nod though. She'd been pretty tired.

"Are you sure?

"Of course, I don't need to be up till noon, which you and I will start work."

"Okay. Yea. Thanks, Akira."

"Hey, don't abuse it. You get some shut eye too, okay? You've got a fun morning ahead of you." She said with a wink. I remember that Lilly wanted to go for a walk in the morning and nod. Akira trecks across the hall and back into her room.

I turn and enter the bathroom. It's immaculate. There a marble sink, with a yellow and black pattern etched into it. A whirlpool bathtub that looks more like a Jacuzzi takes up the entire back wall, though I just really want a nice shower right now. A nice, cold, shower. I strip my clothes off, grabbing a towel out of the closet and hanging it on the grip of the shower. I enter to see there are multiple different nozzles coming out of a few different places, but some laminated instructions help to keep me from freaking out. I turn the shower on, and water begins shooting out from the four separate nozzles and onto my body. I let out a sigh of relief as the water washes over me.

A loud groan, like the sound of a big wounded cat, comes through the southern wall.


	15. Chapter 15: A chance of rain

**Chapter 15: A chance of rain**

The chirping of birds awakens me. I sit up pretty quickly and look outside my open window and, sure enough, a pair of birds have made a nest in our cherry tree. They hop about happily as they build their nest, gathering twigs and stems to contribute to their growing home. It almost makes me want to throw my pillow out the window at them.

I hold back from the idea though. As tempting as it is… I actually like birds. I know I'm still just being bitter but… Well damn it if I can't be bitter for a little while.

I reach beneath my bed to grab my prosthetic legs and my running shorts. I know, I know, summer break is when a lot of people slack off, but apparently I'm not allowed to do that this year. The sun has barely risen, but if I'm going to make the bus back to Yamaku, I gotta get my run in now.

I get up from the bed and stride over to my dresser and the mirror on top of it. Opening the top dresser drawer, I pull a white t-shirt and black sports bra out. Slipping the sports bra on, I take a moment to admire myself in the mirror. My hair hangs down pretty far now actually… Pinching it in my hand, I can almost reach past my breasts. I don't remember the last time I let it get this far. It looks pretty nice actually. Maybe I should grow my-

A flash of golden blonde hair reaching to her waist, and instantly the idea disgusts me. I look at myself in the mirror, short body, short hair…. Small breasts. I glower at my reflection and can practically see myself turning red. I growl and throw my shirt at my bed… and then quickly go and retrieve it, slipping it over my heads. More than a bit angry, I decide against the twin tails today, just wanting to feel the wind in my hair. I'd have to wash it eventually anyways.

'Just forget about her. Forget about that stupid tall blonde homewrecker with her stupid Scottish heritage and her stupid…' The train of thought continues as I exit into the hall. The clacking of my blades is almost background noise at this point as I hop down the stairs. Mom's already in the kitchen making herself a set of toast and is currently pouring herself a glass of orange juice.

"I thought I told you to try not to wear those in the house." She says in a chiding accented voice.

"Huh, maybe you thought wrong? I'll try though, thanks for the slice!" I grab a slice of the toast and hurry from the room.

She laughs and calls "You're welcome!" after me.

Exiting my house, I twist my back and stretch my arms as I hold the toast in my mouth.

"Finally. I was wondering if I'd have to just head back to the school." Says an airy voice.

Saki herself is standing at the fence that leads to our small yard, looking extremely bored.

"Wut da-" I break off, fumbling to catch the toast I dropped from my mouth. I catch it against myself, leaving a fine impression of browned toast and crumbs on my white shirt. I groan. "What do you want, Enomoto?"

"Oh come on, I've rubbed lotion on your leg. You can call me Saki." She says, righting herself. She's wearing the gym uniform from school, a pair of red shorts and the pinkish work-out shirt. She stretches her arms over her head. "Anyways, I'm here because the school nurse sent me here. He told me about the nursing class, but said I'd need another member to vouch for me, said if I went running with you maybe you would, then gave me your address and told me to meet you here like… 15 minutes ago. I've been here at least a half-hour though. Never really get to watch clouds, so it was alright I guess." She shrugs indifferently.

What is that man up to? Vouch for her? We haven't done anything yet besides get some pamphlets. I swear to god…

"Well… umm… I mean, I guess it's okay. Just try to keep up." I say.

"Hmm, you don't have to worry about that. I have at least a few more years before it all starts breaking down." She says, motioning to herself. I note that she doesn't seem to have brought her cane, which is slightly worrying, but I mean, she made it here okay…

I open the wall gate and step through.

"Did you stretch already?" I ask.

"Hmm? Well I mean I walked here from the bus. Does that count?"

I pout at her. This girl has a way of getting on my nerves. "No. It doesn't count. You have to stretch your legs and arms and your whole body." Taking a bite of the scrunched toast, I show her what I mean by bending forwards to grip the edge of my blade. "Like this."

She tries to repeat my action, but her form is too relaxed. It takes a few moments to show her how to tense her muscles properly so that they burn whilst stretching, but once she gets it she seems to pick it up pretty quickly.

"You should do that before and after any workouts. It'll help your muscles achieve full effect. Okay, you ready?"

She nods her head and we start along. I hadn't planned anything heavy, just a brisk jog for about a mile. Saki seems to hold to her word and keeps a good pace… which is actually kinda sorta bothering me.

I look to my side to see face is a look of determination, with a small grin on it as she breathes lightly through her nose. After about a pick I up my pace a little bit. She's wearing the same smile from when she knocked me over yesterday, and the memory of humiliation irritates me further. She ups hers as well though, and once again were nearly shoulder to shoulder. So I up mine further. If this girl thinks she can keep up with me, she's got no brains! I might just tell the nurse to not let her in! But again, she accelerates, and catches pace. What kind of stubborn-

Then I notice how hard her breathing is, she's panting for air between strides while I'm still just breathing through my nose, and I realize suddenly that we're both nearly in a dead run, and we've gone three blocks past where I had intended to turn and head back towards home.

"Woah woah woah woah woah" I say, doing my best to skid to a slow.

Saki nearly tumbles, banging into a garden wall with her hip as she tries to stop. She grabs onto the wall and pants heavily, her modest chest rising and falling with each gasp of air. "Ahh… Shit…" She swears, gripping at her side.

"Hey are you okay?" I run up to her and touch at her sides. She looks up at me and I see that her eyes are way dialated. She shakes her head and puts her arm between us.

"I'm… *phew* I'm fine. Goodness. This is a light workout to you?" She asks, straightening up with her hands against the small of her back, stretching. Her eyes remain closed as she does, and I can see the beads of sweat trickle down her forehead.

"Umm… no… it's… I'm sorry." I manage. "Here, let's head back to my house. We'll walk."

She nods and raises a hand. "J-just gimmie a sec. The doctors said my coordination would suffer, but that was not something I was expecting right there." Her face is red as she breathes heavily, but after a moment she opens her eyes and nods.

After a moment, we walk back towards my house. "You really have a lot of endurance, don't you?" Saki asks.

"Umm… Well… I guess… yea." I'm still a bit worried about her. She seems alright now, no longer about to fall to pieces at least. Saki seems to notice my hesitations.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine, really." She says.

"I-I wasn't worrying!" She smiles at me in a way that reminds me of mom. It makes me roll my eyes. "Anyways, I wouldn't bother worrying myself. You were able to beat me after all."

"Hahaha~" Her laugh is light and airy, it's sorta a pleasant sound. "Yes but that was simply catching you unawares. In a true test of strength, I do not hold myself in greater esteem than I hold you."

The statement makes me smile. Yea, I am pretty strong!

"A test of the mind though…" she says with a sly grin.

"Hey!"

"Appologizeeee." I say teasingly as Saki and I enter the main campus. She's still wearing her sweaty workout gear, but I've changed into a yellow tanktop with and jean shorts. I've let my hair stay down though, and it hangs loose over my shoulder.

"I said nothing wrong." Saki says, putting her chin out like some sorta rich chick… which she probably is, now that I think about it. Yamaku is a pretty expensive place.

"Don't matter. I won't give Nurse that referral if you don't."

Saki rolls her eyes but looks more amused as a smile quirks her mouth.

"Very well, Emi. I apologize for calling you dumb."

"You never called me dumb…" I say, a little defensive. We walk along together towards the girls dorms.

"Stupid?"

"H-hey, you didn't-"

"Not all together there?"

"You aren't doing yourself any favors, Missy!" I feel a hint of red creep into my face as I know she's teasing me. It's kind of weird though… normally I'm the one teasing.

"Hmmm, no, I'm pretty sure I called you a mental nut." Saki says, thumping her finger against her chin thoughtfully. We enter into the lobby and I feel the air conditioning blow over us as it chases out the summer heat.

"You're mean! I am so not letting you join!" I say.

"Hmm, we'll have to continue this conversation in class. I need to change, wait for me here?"

I pout at her angrily, but she has this certain air around her… "Whatever… just hurry up."

"A lady never rushes." She says, starting up the stairwell.

"I will leave you behind!" I shout up, knowing that I won't.

After twenty minutes of contemplating taking my legs off and trying to wear them as gauntlets while sprinting around in my running pair, Saki comes down the stairs wearing a black sort of shrug over a flowy white polka dotted shirt. She wears a pair of jean shorts that are frayed at the bottom, as if she cut them herself, but they make the outfit look so much more… unique. With her, she carries a white cane in her right hand, and a red purse over her left shoulder. Her ears sparkle with garnet earrings, and she wears a red ribbon in the front of her hair. She is reaching into her purse as she walks down them.

"Wow, you got that ready in 20 minutes?"

"Hmm?" she humms, looking up. Her eyes catch the light and it really makes the amber in them shine in a way I'd never seen before. "Oh, yes, sorry. I had the outfit laid out, but I needed to shower and dry my hair." She flips it over her shoulder, running a hand through it. I don't really know why I'm blushing.

"W-well… Good. Let's go. It'll be starting soon." I say, hoping she hasn't noticed.

We walk out in to the summer heat and I let out a *phew* more to just make noise than to say anything. Saki taps alongside me, using her cane in tune with her left foot every stride… Come to think of it, that was the one she started stumbling on.

"If you don't mind me asking, how advanced is your… condition?"

Saki shrugs at the question. "Honestly? I dunno really. Only found out about it a year ago when I fell down the stairs at my old school. Just a sudden loss of all feeling in my leg, and the coordination took a dive. Doctors say that new medicine is being developed all the time though, so I'm a bit hopeful. I want to see the world, though. Heck, in ten years, I could be dead… I'd really regret not doing enough while I was alive."

"Do you believe there's an afterlife?"

Saki laughs into her hand in a very lady like manner. "I certainly hope so. I won't get to live a full life, I'd at least get to live a full death."

I nod. It makes sense. I kind of feel bad for the girl, but what can you do?

"What about you?" She asks.

That's all it took for some reason. A little question, a tingle in my mind, then an itch at the back of my throat. I cough into my hand, trying to distract from last night's nightmare.

"Come on, we're gonna be late!" I say, and start rushing ahead.

"H-hey, wait up!" Saki calls after me. "If you make me sweaty again, I will so kill you!"

A sudden crack of thunder shakes me awake, and my hand flies out to grab a handful of fabric. My eyes are open from being startled awake, but I can't see. Even knowing that, even knowing it's just thunder… I'm still afraid.

This bed is unfamiliar, the pillow is much too soft, and it is very cramped, as my leg slides against another one that radiates heat. I feel cold and nervous and like I'm about to freak out. The touch of his body is calming, as I realize the fabric I'm holding is his shirt. I inch myself closer to him, wishing he'd wrap his arms around me and just hold me.

"Hisao?" I whisper. If he's not awake, I do not wish to awaken him.

"Mmm…" He moans.

When we'd stayed in the hospital, a few times, I'd woken up to unfamiliar sounds and would press up against him as tightly as I could, and he still wouldn't awaken. I'm not one who really allows for themselves to be uptight… but a part of me has begun to think that trying to relax isn't exactly helping me relax. It sounds silly, however as Akira told me, most womanly things do.

He shifts in bed and I feel him lay onto his back. He lifts his left arm up and I pick myself up, moving onto his chest and he wraps his arm around me, stroking my hair. The familiar touch of his hand, the familiar heartbeat… nothing is said between us as we both lay there. Slowly, listening to his heart, the heart I vowed to help keep in health, I feel my muscles relax, and I slowly return to sleep.

"Lilly?"

The word is whispered with care that only Hisao could muster. I don't want to get up. I feel as if I've only just returned to sleep. Still, I know that he knows.

"Just a little more. You're so comfortable." I say. He laughs lightly in a way that I know that he won't argue against my wish. He pets my hair and I happily hum, pulling myself tighter against him in a hug.

Eventually, all good things must end, and I force myself to pull my body into a sitting position against the wall. I let out a small yawn and stretch my arms. My neck is cramped.

Outside the walls of the mansion, I can hear the pitter patter of rain against the window and rooftop. I bite my lip. "It's going to be hard to use the track in this weather."

As if to punctuate the sentence, thunder again booms outside. I don't feel panic with this one, being much more awake, but at the same time I'm not entirely happy as Hisao stands from the bed. He makes a grunt of effort that I use to assume that he too is stretching.

"Yea, heh, that'd be a little hard. I mean we could use an umbrella…"

Again, thunder booms.

"Oooorrr… not."

I smile a rueful smile, and stick my hands out. He grabs hold and pulls me to my feet, which I then wrap him in a hug. "I'm afraid not, my dear."

"Haha, well, divine intervention is as good a reason as any to miss a workout." He says. He twists and sits back on the bed, making me let out a slight gasp of surprise as he pulls me with him. I put my hand up and lightly thump his shoulder. He laughs and pulls me into a kiss, but I thump him again and he lets go, though we're both breathing a little heavier. I force myself to my feet.

"Oh, no, mister. You are not going to get out of this that easily. Come on." I stick my hands out for him to grasp, which he does, and I pull him to his feet. "Get dressed. There's a lot of ground that this mansion covers, and we'll be walking it instead of the track."

"You were totally ready for this, weren't you?" he asks.

I reach up, letting out a breathy giggle. "Two weeks is plenty of time to plan ahead. Now, get dressed. Let's go."

He moves, though he moves closer to me and wraps his arms around me. "God, I love you. You know that?"

"I believe you may have mentioned it." I say.

He groans. "You know what I mean."

I playfully wink at him, and reach up to touch his face. He closes his eye as my fingers dance over his face, before pulling him close. "And you know that I love you as well." I say before kissing him. Our kisses deepen, as I lock my hands around his neck and shoulders and he wraps a hand around my waist and one in my hair. We stand like that for a few minutes, simply enjoying in one another, before I break the kiss.

"You know… We could do your exercising in here." I say to him, with what I hope is a suggestive nod towards the bed.

He says nothing for a moment and then his lips lock on mine once more, and I can feel him reaching for the buttons of my pajamas as I pull to get his T-shirt off of his head.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

The sudden noise startles both of us and my head whips towards the door.

"Excuse me, but we'd appreciate not being disturbed!" I say loudly. I swear to myself that if it's Arthur interrupting us.

"Still? Come on Lills, it's nearly noon, you can't keep him to yourself forever." Comes Akira's exasperated voice. Hisao and I are righting ourselves, and he runs his hands through my hair a few times as I fix my buttons. "Lilly?" Akira calls through the thick wooden door.

"Coming, coming!" I call back. I huff, blowing the hair that's in my face to the side. I hear Hisao stepping along behind me as I approach the door and reach for the knob.

"It's on the other side." He says.

I reach over and sure enough… I open the door inwards to greet Akira.

"Jeez, did you two just wake up now?" she asks.

"Sort of…" I say.

"Pretty much." Hisao adds, very insightfully.

"Well get dressed. You and I have a lot of unpacking and filing to do, and did you two get to practice English at all?"

"Well, we only just arrived last night…" I say, feeling like I was being scolded.

"Yea, but you guys were in the hospital for like two weeks! What were you doing there?" Akira asks incredulously.

I feel a slight fire in my stomach burning, the same as when I told father Hisao would be staying with me. "Mostly thanking God that we were together and alive." I say, perhaps with a bit more spite than it needed.

"If only we could all be so lucky. Well, Hisao, if you'd like to start thanking other people for your wellbeing, join me in my office. It's the door right through the hall, and I'll call to you." Akira turns and storms off, slamming her door behind her.

"Gah. That was so… so…"

"Reasonable?" Hisao asks.

I round on him. "No. It was rude of her to come and wake us up like that."

"She didn't exactly wake us up…" he says. "Come on… If she needs my help, I should go and help her. That was the deal, after all."

I inhale sharply and exhale it, trying to calm myself. Hisao is right. Akira is right. I just… I need a moment.

"What will you be wearing?" I ask.

"Ummmm…" he retreats into the room and I hear a dresser opening. "A grey dress shirt and black pants?"

I nod, as the outfit sounds sensible to me. "Okay, you're right… I'm sorry, I'm still tired I guess."

The pitter-patter of the rain has begun to be more of an annoyance than anything at this point. This day is being annoying, and it's barely begun. Hisao reaches out and touches my arm, going down to my hand and holding it. "Hey, it'll be okay. I'll be just across the hall doing mindless work hahaha. It's what I gotta do."

"I know, I know." I say, relaxing and calming down. "I just… I guess I can be really selfish when it comes to you."

"Awee." Hisao says, pulling me into a tight hug and making me gasp. I can feel his grin on my shoulder. "That was really cute." He says.

"Goodness." I say, giggling as he picks me up and twirls me. "My my, Hisao. I should be selfish with you more often." I say, and we kiss.

"Maybe. Not right now though. I gotta go. Have a good day! See you in a bit!" He says, and he rushes out the door and across the hall, and the door shuts behind him.

I plop down on the bed and a single thought hits me. What the in the blazes am I supposed to do all day?


	16. Chapter 16: Working order

**Chapter 16: Working order**

I exit our room, closing the door behind me with a heavy heart. I don't want to go to work with Akira. The faint ghost of Lilly's lips on is practically haunting me. I want nothing more than to go back in there and have a 'strenuous heart test.' Nevertheless, I know that I must go to Akira so we can just get started on this… whatever this is.

I walk across the hall with a heavy heart and knock on Akira's door. There isn't any response. Part of me wants to take that as 'work's closed, go on home to your stunning girlfriend' and just walk back to my room. I force the thought to the back of my mind. Whining about it won't help.

I reach down to twist the door handle, hearing another door close as I open this one. I look to an interior door where I think the noise had come from before looking around the room itself. It's a bedroom, and like mine and Lillys, it seems more akin to a hotel room than one that belongs in a home. It takes me a moment to see the small changes Akira has been able to inflict on the room since she arrived. A comb left out, a towel thrown on the floor, a suitcase that lies open next to the dresser, in addition to a closet that seems to have a dozen of the same exact outfit.

"Jeez," I mutter to myself, "you'd think she'd wear something other than black sometimes…"

I walk across the room to the door I had heard shut, figuring that had been where Akira had gone. I twist the handle and start to open the door when a sudden thought strikes me… What if this is her personal bathroom?

"Please tell me you changed." Comes Akira's voice in a casual tone.

The tension ebbs out of my shoulders. I open the door fully to see that Akira is sitting at her desk with a smirk on her face. She places a yellow folder she'd been holding onto the desk. "Better. You look horrible in purple."

She must mean my pajama shirt I had been wearing. "What can I say, I like color. Grey is so… eh." I say looking down at myself, holding my arms out. The dress shirt fits nicely, although it feels a bit stiff and 'new'.

"Well you're dressed for 'eh' work, at least." Akira says, breathing out a laugh. "Alright, we're switching. [Can you understand me?]"

English. I nod my head. "[Yes. I can say as well as understand simple English.]" I force myself to recall one of the earliest lessons we had. We had to learn how to say we could or could not understand really early. While I couldn't read Pride and Prejudice, I could manage some basics.

"[Okay,]" she went on, holding up the folder. "[What I % you two % is #$ &# & !%^ #%# two !&$%^. Okay?]"

Or… not…

"[I am scared I do not understand.]" I say.

Akira drops her head back with a groan.

"[You aren't scared. Afraid. You are afraid.]" She says, shaking her head. She continues, gesturing to the boxes. "[!%$%^]"

She looks pointedly at me. I shake my head. "[Sorry…]"

Akira sighs and stands from her desk, mumbling to herself. I can pick out Lilly's name, but nothing more. She opens up one of the boxes and pulls out a handful of files. They seem to be colored between yellow and green files, however a few of another color breaks up the monotony.

"[Green *#&# green.]" she says, stacking the green files together. She then pulls over an empty box and places the two green files into it. I nod now, understanding. Green goes with green. "[Yellow *#&# yellow.]" She continues, stacking two yellow folders and placing them into a separate empty box. She looks up to me. "[Understand?]"

"Ye- [Yes. Thank you.]" I say, bowing my head slightly. She nods and returns to her desk. I sit down at the boxes and begin separating the files.

The green files are the most plentiful. There's a few of them labeled with numbers, I think that's the insignia for United States dollars… These must be green because they're about money. The yellow files have different labels with inked stamps. I can't really pick out what these are, although I guess that's not my job.

It's not the most mentally demanding task, but I guess it needs doing. One after another, I pull file after file from the box and set them aside, piling them together in their individual boxes. I have to wonder what exactly these are all used for. Trying to imagine why they're all mixed already, I determine it must be because Akira had brought these over from the Japanese office.

It's not long before I come to a file that puzzles me. It isn't green or yellow. It's red. "[Hello, Akira?]" I say to get her attention. "[Red?]" I lift the file up for her to see.

Akira looks up to see me holding the file. She waves me to her and takes the file with a sigh. "[It's good you don't speak English well…]" She mumbles.

I feel like I wasn't supposed to understand that… She looks up to the ceiling and stretches her neck before tossing the file down in front of her, causing the papers inside it to be jostled. I can see what looks like a bit of some sort of image sticking out from the folder. "[Here. Put red here.]" She says, and she stabs her finger on top of it. I nod, then return to my spot on the floor.

Well that was weird… I try to shrug it off mentally and return to working, but what she said is sticking with me.

The next time I get to a red file, I find myself looking more closely at it as I rise to give it to Akira. There a stamp, a word in English. C… Con… And then it's gone, placed on her desk before I could finish reading it. She still is sifting through the yellow file she had been in earlier. It looked like she was writing some sort of report. She looks up as I place it down and nods at me smiling, and I go back to work.

A thought seems to be nagging at me as I continue my task. The red files seem to be few and far between, as I finish unloading the first box without seeing any more of them. I tell myself that my curiosity is completely natural, I mean it's a new job and I'm asked to just separate folders into boxes? Not the most intellectually demanding task. Of course my mind will wander.

I finish a second and a third box before I find myself searching around for some sort of clock. This is boring. It's repetitive, and frankly seems like a waste of time. I look over to Akira and see she still has the same folder from before. It couldn't have been more than ten minutes and yet I feel like I've been here an hour already.

Where before I had been individually pulling files, I find myself now grabbing a few at a time and flicking through to make sure they're all matching. A handful of green, one yellow, a handful of green, another handful of green, three yellow, a handful of green. As my finger thumbs across the folders I can see page after page after page of documents inside. I can't imagine somebody reading through all of these. Are these separated by department? Expenditures? Anything other than simple colors?

The monotony of the act is setting in and I can feel the urge to stand up and walk around. This is literally worse than doing school work. Am I getting paid for this? You could hire a child to do-

And then, something breaks off my thoughts. A red file in the handful of green I held, and as I thumb over them the red folder opens just enough that I can see something that isn't just another paper. It's a picture of a young Japanese woman. She has brown hair tied into two lengthy twin-tails and is wearing a light blue uniform. The girl looks young, I'd guess early twenties, and her happy smile causes the memory of Emi to flash in my mind. The picture looks almost like an employee ID.

I shake my head and pull the file from the handful of green, holding it tightly closed. I get up and stretch out my legs, feeling them tense along with my back as I walk over to Akira's desk and neatly stack the file on top of the other two.

Akira doesn't even look up from her writing this time. God this is boring. "[There is maybe something I can do?]" I ask, hoping she'll give me something that makes me use more of my brain then sorting colors.

"[You're %#% #% Hisao.]" She replied, still not looking at me. I do my best to hide my annoyance.

What even is the point of this, I want to ask. My mind flicks to Lilly, to our shared bed, and I keep my mouth shut. I shouldn't be complaining. After all, having a boring job and being with Lilly is better than having no job and being at home.

I drop back on the floor and return to filing, trying to focus on the good of the situation instead of wallowing in the mundane.

"[What time did you say it was?]" I ask the cook that is assisting me.

"[It's half past two, Ms. Satou.]" She replies, her fine wording at ends with her rough Scottish accent.

"[Perfect.]" I reply, and bow my head to her in thanks. "[If you'd please give me the tray, I will bring it up to them.]"

I extend my arms forwards and feel the weight of the metal tray slide into them. I balance the tray evenly, knowing that the two bowls of soup and three sandwiches should be properly cared for. A bowl of soup and a sandwich for Akira and Hisao, as well as simple sandwich for myself.

I suppose I could ask the cook to serve it, however I like it more this way. It feels as if I'm doing more for him.

Them, I correct myself. 'More for them'.

"[Will you be needing any assistance getting to Ms. Akira's room?]"

"[If it's no trouble.]" I say, trying to give the cook an innocent expression. Truth was it took me most of an hour to find the kitchen, and that was mostly by luck and sense of smell. My parents' manor was so large, and I'd not had time to memorize the steps yet.

"[Of course, Ms. Satou.]"

I hear her footsteps ahead of me and do my best to navigate behind her whilst balancing the tray. It's a little heavy, though nothing I cannot manage.

She stops to unlock the door of the kitchen, and bids me through it before leading me along through the living room. Rain still patters against the windows, and thunder booms to remind me that the storm is still in full swing.

The servant leads me along silently, something I much appreciate. Admittedly, my mood is a bit on the sour side after not being able to help Hisao with his workout this morning. Even just walking around the manor proper would have been a decent workout. Maybe even just carrying food to our room. I muse to myself happily thinking of Hisao bringing breakfast in bed for us to enjoy together. This is going to be so wonderful.

We go on, proceeding up the stairs and around a few turns before finally coming to a halt at the end of a long hall.

"[We have arrived Ms. Satou. Want me to knock?]"

I let out a small huff as I shift the heavy tray in my arms. "[No, thank you. I'll be able to handle myself from here.]" I reply.

"[As you wish, ma'am,]" she says. She then departs.

Sliding one hand beneath the center of the tray, I reach my hand out and firmly knock on the door thrice. I slide my hand back under the tray, and hold it slightly away from my body and towards the door. I try to mentally picture myself for when Hisao opens the door, his loving girlfriend thoughtfully bringing him something to eat. I can feel the heat in my cheeks rising as I anticipate his reaction.

I really enjoy the idea of being matrimonial for him. The food for Akira is simply a bonus, I admit to myself.

A few moments go by though, and my picturesque stance lessens a bit. My arms ache with the weight of the meals on them. I'd carried them all the way from the kitchen after all...

I slide the full weight of the tray back onto my one arm and knock thrice more. "Hisao? Akira? Are you in there?" I call through the door.

No response.

"You two better not have gone out for lunch without me…" I grumble to myself as I reach around with my free hand for the doorknob. Of all the things I dislike about being in a western country, doorknobs are high on the list. It's just so much simpler to have a sliding door for me to pull back easily. After grasping at the left side of the door to no avail, I find the knob on the right, awkwardly leaning over the food to reach it. The knob twists in my hand and the door opens with a grunt of effort.

"I-I brought you some lunch." I call into the room, sweeping my other arm back beneath the tray. I feel the aching in my other arm lessen, and only now notice it's slight tremble. Oh I hope I haven't spilled…

"Hello?" I call into the room.

I step forwards. Still no response. Akira and Hisao have obviously gone. Groaning with frustration and effort, I step into the room. I need to find a place to put this tray down before I drop it everywhere.

"Now where could they have gone off to?" I wonder aloud, pouting to myself. I decide my grumbling can wait, and try to find some sort of place to put the tray.

The creaking of another door in the room surprises me into nearly jumping out of my skin.

"Lilly?" Hisao asks.

"Hisao!" I exclaim, hurriedly trying to wipe the frustration from my face. I hold the tray out towards him, attempting to wear the smile I'd had at the door. "I got lunch for you. Oh, and Akira as well. And me, if I can stay for a little. I hope you don't mind." I say, laughing slightly and stepping forwards to go to him.

"Wait Lilly wat-" He starts.

My foot connects with something hard and I feel myself scream out in surprise as I my body begins to pitch forwards.

I arch my back, feeling my shoulders groaning as they squeeze my spine into a fixed shape. I've been sitting here for what feels like the entire day just sorting files based on colors.

This whole thing just feels useless and meaning less. Hell, even Lilly could probably do it. She'd find a way to feel the ink on the folders as some sort of differentiation and be able to sort them just fine.

I shake my head, trying to banish the bitterness of my thoughts. Even Lilly could probably do it this without issue. She'd find some way to go all super human and feel the difference in the textures or something. I just wish I could be more helpful. Maybe if I looked into some of these folders…

The sound of a voice in the other room suddenly grabs my attention. I hear a voice call out, but can't make out what it says.

"Was that Lilly?" Akira asks, looking up from her paperwork towards the door and apparently forgetting the English rule. She checks her wrist, and I notice the gleam of silver as she pulls her sleeve up. "It's only been an hour. You two are like puppies, you know that? Go and tell her we're busy. We need to get this filing done, and have a lot of work to do."

I'm not about to point out the usage of Japanese to her, this English is giving me a headache. I simply nod and rise from my position on the floor.

If Lilly had come to see us, I was at least going to give her a proper greeting. I don't know who Akira thinks she is but I'm not just going to send Lilly on her way if she went through the trouble of checking up on us.

I open the door and hear the shaking of cutlery before the door is even fully open. When it does, I see standing by Akira's dresser is Lilly holding a large tray of food items.

The poor girl looks like a mess. Her face is blotchy red from exertion, she has flecks of sweat on her brow as well as some spots from some sort of liquid on her blouse. I can see one of her sleeves is dripping onto the carpet with wetness, and that her arms are shaking with effort as she holds a heavy looking platter of food in them with three plates of sandwiches and two bowls that seem to have emptied about a quarter of their contents onto the tray and sandwiches.

"Lilly?" I ask in bewilderment.

Her face, contorted with what looks like irritation and effort, snaps into a forced smile that seems to split her lips ear to ear.

"Hisao!" She shouts in a surprised and excitable tone. She thrusts the tray forwards harshly, causing more contents of the bowls to lap over the edges. "I got lunch for you! Oh, and Akira as well! And me, if I can stay for a little! I hope you don't mind!" She lets out a harsh forced giggle that only adds horror to the image as she steps forwards, marching right towards Akira's open suitcase.

Not waiting for my mouth to start working, my body instinctively rushes forwards

"Wait Lilly wat-"

Her foot connects with the suitcase, kicking it forwards and smashing the lid against her shin. She lets out a scream as she begins to pitch forwards, her fingers tightly gripping the tray in front of her raising it up over her head.

Rushing forwards, I grab her across the body and push her backwards. Her thigh slams against the dresser, and I feel a burning hot sensation smack into my back that makes me yelp in pain.

Together, Lilly and I get her footing back.

"Ah son of a-" I say, whipping at my shoulder. I feel the hot trickle of the soup sliding down my back.

"Oh my, oh my! Hisao!?" Lilly calls to me in a panic. My arms are supporting hers, however she still holds the tray aloft. She's shaking, and her eyes are wide with fear.

"It's okay, it's okay," I whisper to her through gritted teeth. "I've got you. Here, let me take that."

I reach up to the tray and touch her hands. And motion to take the tray from her. She holds the tray with a vice like grip, but after a few moments she relents.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Akira had entered the door and was now looking at us. I take the tray and place it down steadily on the dresser.

"We're fine, Akira." I say to her trying to play off the pain. It's fading quickly, though the wetness has now trickled to my dress pants. "Just a bit of an accident, it's no trouble."

"I – I –" Lilly stammers. She reaches her hands out towards me looking so very lost. Her red face has grown even redder, and I can clearly see tears in her unseeing eyes. "I brought you lunch."

Tears start to trickle from her face. I reach out and take one of her hands. I pull myself to her as she begins to cry, angrily kicking the suitcase aside. Akira looks at us standing there before slowly raising her hands and retreating into the room.

It takes a little bit for Lilly to calm down. She'd been shaking terribly as she cried, and I held her the entire time. Her face was buried into the crook of my neck. After a few minutes, she finally stops sobbing. She doesn't move her face away from me, instead I feel her tighten her grip.

"It's okay Lilly. It's alright, we're both alright." I repeat for the dozenth time.

I hear her take a shuddering breath before she responds. "I-I wanted to be with you. I'm sorry…" She says.

I feel myself balk, and Lilly does too given her reaction. Her face picks up towards my own and I seize on the moment, kissing her. After a moment of startled hesitation, she melts into my kiss. Her body presses against mine, hands gripping the back of my shirt. She pulls me to her, arching her back slightly as she leans backwards. I pull my lips away from hers and put my hand to her cheek. Her face seems unfocused for a moment.

"Don't ever be sorry for wanting to be with me Lilly. You have no idea how many times I've nearly run from Akira's room screaming in terror of more boring work. And it's been like less than half the day."

Lilly raises her hand to cover her mouth. "Hisao, that's so rude," she says while hiding her smile.

"I know you can't see it right now, but I'm wearing the most serious face." I say.

She raises her hand towards my face and brushes my cheek with it. Electricity runs through my whole body at the familiar touch, and I feel all coherent thought dissolve.

"It feels to me more handsome than serious." She says. Looking at her, her face is blotchy and tear stained, nevertheless her smile lights up the entire room. Genuine and pure. Her hand then falls to my collar and pulls me towards her again. She wraps her hands around me, patting my wet back.

"Oh my, I spilled on you… didn't I?"

I wince. Not from pain, but at being unable to deny her. I quickly rationalize to myself that telling the truth would be better. This girl… this woman stood up for me to a police chief that spoke of deporting me, and even more impressively, to her own father that had essentially declared me 'servant for life.' She didn't need me to protect her. I wouldn't lie to her.

"Yeah. Some of the soup spilled onto my back."

Her brow knits in a scowl I recognize as her beating herself up.

"If it's any consolation though, it smells magnificent."

She stares at me for a moment before laughing. A loud, genuine, happy laugh. Not a giggle or a chuckle, a laugh. Sighing, she pulls herself to me this time and nuzzles against my neck. I bury my head into her wavy blonde hair, her black bow touching against my forehead.

"I love you, Hisao. So much."

"I love you too, Lilly." I say. I squeeze her soft body in a tight hug before releasing her. "Now, how about we have some lunch?"

"You know, this ain't half bad." Akira says between bites of her soggy sandwich. "What is this, chicken and broccoli?"

Lilly blushes, "The soup was made from potatoes and topped with bacon, and your sandwich was cheese and turkey."

"Ohhh, that's what that is." Akira says, "My second guess was lobster bisque."

The three of us sat on the floor of Akira's office. The tray was between the three of us in a small triangle.

I reach over and squeeze Lilly's shoulder, who quickly uses her sandwich as an excuse to say nothing further by shoving it into her mouth.

"It's okay Lilly, I'd have eaten the lobster bisque." I say.

Lilly moans through her food, blushing and buries her face in her hands. Akira and I laugh. One of Lilly's outreached hands grips one of the boxes of folders I'd previously been going through to divide into colors.

"You know," Lilly says in between bites, "I've heard I'm not the only one having a rough afternoon. What exactly are you two doing in here?" Lilly asks.

"Sorting," I groan. "Color coding folders to go with one another."

I look over to Akira to see her giving me a nasty look that fades so quickly I'm unsure if it was at me or at her soggy food.

"What do the folders contain?" Lilly asks.

Not knowing the answer to that myself, I look to Akira.

"What do you think? Paperwork." Akira says. "Hey, you didn't happen to be juggling any drinks up here too, did you?" Akira asks.

"No," Lilly responds. "I'd forgotten them. What kinds of paperwork?"

Akira rolls her neck on her shoulders. "You know, statistics from the Japan office, profits sales, that sort of junk. Figures and numbers. Then there's reports from people who tested products, buyers and their reasoning's, scientist listing side effects, more garbage that wastes paper."

"Well that sounds silly, father wouldn't have request us to come here just for sorting." Lilly says matter of fact.

"No, he's got more. He asked us to come home for assistance with local cases and issues." Akira replies. I get the odd sense I'm watching some sort of tennis match.

"The reports sound like it'd be easier to sort them by more than simple color. Do you read the reports before separating them?"

"I do, yeah." Akira answers. I notice she's becoming increasingly gruff about the subject.

"Does Hisao?"

Akira grounds her teeth. "He would if you'd been teaching him English when he was supposed to be learning."

"Nonsense." Lilly says. "Hisao has obtained enough knowledge to graduate High School at a very dedicated private school, and his English has improved considerably since we've met." Lilly says.

It has? I try to mentally convey my suspicions about that, though it seems that Lilly hasn't yet developed ESP. Or maybe she's just blocking my thoughts.

"Lils, come on. If our father heard us talking Japanese right now, then Hisao would be in serious trouble. Do you guys even have his medication yet?"

I blanch, having completely forgotten about that. Oh hell, I needed my medication, now more than ever.

"It's being delivered here today, I spoke with the doctor and gave them our address and they're sending someone from the local pharmacy."

Akira turns to me, "You'll never guess what pharmacy it is." She says with a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

"Your father's? Angelo Pharmaceuticals?"

"[We need to work more on your pronunciation…]" Lilly says in English.

"Hey!" I exclaim, feeling a bit wounded. She giggles and reaches out stroking my arm. I neglect to tell her the only reason I understood her was because I'd had that phrase said to me so many times over the years.

"Together, Hisao. We'll work on it together." She says. Her eyes exude kindness and love, and it's hard to not believe in myself when someone as strong as her believes so hard.

"Yeah. Sooner is better than later on this, kiddos." Akira says.

I nod my head at her, feeling the weight of the responsibility on my shoulders. If I could learn, then I could help more. More importantly, I wouldn't be stuck sorting folders again. "[I will try my best.]"


	17. Chapter 17: Repairing hard knocks

**Chapter 17: School of repairing hard knocks**

"Come on, I'm tired of running!" I say as I chase Emi up the front stairs and into the building. A lesser woman might consider it whining, but I'd been through a lot today.

Emi's pace finally patters out as we enter the building together. I finally reach her. "Oof, hol- hold on." I extend a hand, slightly leaning on her shoulder for a moment, which apparently catches her off guard. She blinks at me for a moment and an idea strikes me as I lift up my leg, the ach burning. "Hey, were we not supposed to stretch after? I think we forgot."

Emi's gaze goes to the floor and she raises herself on false toes. "I didn't want to stress you further." She mumbles. "I know running can be super rough." She looks up, talking quickly now. "This one time, one of the girls on the track team that just started, she ran too much on one of her first training days and when we stretched she ended up spewing everywhere. It was so gross." She laughs, but it's plainly strained. "A-anyways, come on, the room we'll be using isn't far."

"Will Tezuka be joining us?" I ask.

"Tez- oh. Rin." Emi squints her eyes shut and shakes her head, her untied and dirty hair flipping back and forth. "Sorry, I'm uh… Well, yeah, I think. Ugh, I should have checked on her. She's probably painting or something."

"It must be difficult," I comment, "doing what she does without arms. I'd question how she could learn anything useful about healthcare if she wasn't such an on the mark painter."

Emi nods her head. "That's Rin. Always up for a challenge. If she wants to, that is."

"Does she often want to?"

"Nope." Emi says. "I've had to motivate her to eat more often than not."

I remember Rin mentioning something about that once, when our assignment was to paint a picture of food and she painted a picture of Emi holding out a bento box. That painting now hung in the art gallery, though I had to wonder if Rin had ever informed Emi of that.

We wander up another flight of stairs to the second floor and come out in an empty hall. We walk down, I following Emi's lead, until we come to an open door with voices on the other side. Emi pushes it open and freezes in the doorway so suddenly I walked into her, and we both stumbled in.

My sore hip cries out in pain as I try to catch myself with my cane, but Emi's already recovered.

"What the hell is he doing here!?" Emi growls. There's a loud yelp from the other side of the room and I see a boy with bandages tied around his face and his arm in a sling duck behind a stony faced Rin Tezuka.

"Hello." Rin says.

Emi does not return the greeting. "What. Is he. Doing here?" She asks, the menace in her voice distorting the inflections.

"I asked Kenji to come. I'm sponsoring him." Rin replied, her face never changing.

"Why?" Emi asked.

Rin shrugged. "He asked me to ask him."

"And he asked me to ask her to ask him, but I told him no dice on that." Says the blue haired smiling man who sat at the front of the room with his feet on the teacher's desk. The nurse wore his trademark white lab coat with something I could only classify as 'with style.' It helped him exert this sense of power and control he always seemed to have in every interaction, which she normally found very comforting. "If a student wanted to come to the classes, they'd have to receive an explicit invitation to come as one of our other student's guests."

"You can't be serious, I don't want him here."

"Now Emi," the Nurse began.

"Don't you go all authority figure on me, you know I hate that." Emi shot at him.

"Ibarazaki." Squeaked a voice from behind Rin. I look over to Kenji, who clears his throat and puffs his chest out, standing up straight. "Ibarazaki." He tries again with a deep mainly voice.

"Don't fake it." Rin interjected over her shoulder.

Kenji deflated. His voice returned to its normal scratchy tone. "Look, dude, I'm not… Happy with what happened. My friend nearly died right in front of me, and the best I could do was scream for help as he… as his…" Kenji's glasses misted up briefly as he whipped at his face. "I don't want to ever be like that again. To have to standby as the world is set on fire around you and you're forced to watch it all burn."

The man spoke animatedly and yet it came off as pained and hurt, until I noticed that he was also waving around his slung arm. I can't help but feel that this was about more than Hisao, and wondered how close the two must have been for this comradery.

"I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry."

Emi scowled at Kenji. Then she scowled at Nurse. Then she swung her foot and banged the false shin on a desk. "Whatever. Fine." She grumbled, and took a seat at the desk. "I'm a girl."

Kenji blinked a few times before tapping Rin on the shoulder and whispering in her ear. Rin nodded her head. Kenji apparently didn't see and whispered again. Rin nodded again.

I took a seat next to Emi, who still seemed hot enough to boil water, and looked expectantly up at the front of the class.

"Well then." Nurse says, standing up from his seat. "It seems we have a full house."

Just then, the door opened, and a tall white man with a freshly buzzcut head enters the room. I notice immediately how off-putting this man is in his black T-shirt with denim blue jeans, his well-toned pectorals straining the dark fabric over his large muscular chest. His eyes quickly scan the room, landing for a brief moment and sending a grin to Emi.

Emi smiles a little bit to him, and it weirds me out how uncomfortable that makes me feel.

"Good evening, head nurse. I'm deeply sorry for being late." He says with a deep bow. Something about the way that he says it makes me feel a little uncomfortable.

"Ah, Mr. Price. I'm glad you were able to join us after all." Nurse says.

I feel a little bit of the tension slipping away, as he was obviously expected… He walks to the front of the room, taking up position next to the nurse. He smiles at the group but I feel his eyes meticulously scanning over us and it makes me shift uncomfortably in my seat. Emi notices and gives me a questioning look.

"Security Officer Price has personally volunteered to come in on his off hours to assist my teachings." Says Nurse.

Mr. Price bowed his head. "Please, call me Kane."

Kenji's hand flew into the air. "Uh, Setou, we're not really taking-" Nurse started.

"Are you THE Cain?" Kenji interrupted. "The one who killed his brother? The ultimate enemy of men everywhere?"

Kane chuckled. "No, I tend fight for my brothers instead of against them. It's Kane with a K."

Kenji beamed. "A fighter for men everywhere." He spoke in a hushed tone of reverence usually reserved for pastors and cultists.

"Uh…" Kane gave a bewildered look to the nurse, who shrugged. "Sure thing, [buddy]."

I note the man's use of English for his last word, though everyone else seems to just be letting it go. It all seems so very strange to me.

"Annnywho," Nurse continued, "You're all here for one reason. To make sure you have a place to stay so Yamaku doesn't kick you to the curb for summer." He paused for laughter. None came. "Ahem, well, you're here to learn medical skills that you might choose to expand on in the future, but this is a beginner's course. Know that every one of you will be First Aid certified by the end of this course." He smiled to the class, and clapped his hands. "So, who is ready to cut open a dead human body?"

Much to the vocal disappointment of Kenji, and to what I suspected was the morbid curiosity of Rin, we did not dissect any human cadavers.

The Nurse and Mr. Price certainly had different teaching methods than any I'd encountered before. Our instructors commonly used one another as diagrams, showing where important things like arteries were located and what best to do in an emergency situation. It turned out that Kane… Mr. Price, had had a decent knowledge of medical knowledge. I still felt uncomfortable with him though, and was going to mention it to Emi when the shorter girl had stormed off after they had been dismissed.

I hurried after her, listening to her grumble. "I can't believe her! Stupid, how stupid can she be." Emi apparently noticed me and threw her hands up. "I mean can you believe that! He's the one that nearly killed Hisao in the first place, with a firkin suicidal idea of 'Hey let's go after your stupid abandoner because it's not like she won't do it twice.'" As she spoke, Emi grew more and more red in the face, seemingly not acknowledging the need of trivial things like breathing as her tirade escaladed. "Mark these words, mark them, she's going to leave him again and then he'll all alone in some stupid European city without anyone that cares about him."

"You mean without you?" I ask, feeling a little annoyed

Emi's dagger eyes turn on me and I could picture the bull about to charge as her nostrils flared.

"I don't care about him." She spat.

"I do." I replied, softly.

That seemed to knock her on her back foot. She looked at me with a puzzled expression. I decided to push on.

"Hisao is a good man. He's doing what he thinks is right, chasing after a dream and seizing it. I've actually dreamt about him the past few nights. About what it must have been like to be on the plane so close to your goal, and then to feel as if it's all being wretched away from you. I wonder if she was there when he woke up, or if he woke up in handcuffs in some cell somewhere for sneaking into a foreign country." I turn from Emi, and started walking down the steps, keeping my pace measured. "Lilly isn't a bad person, not by any means, but I feel she doesn't know what she really wants. Maybe Hisao can give her that. Maybe this desperate act of love will show her."

Emi was quiet for a moment. "Do you really think he loves her?" She asked, her voice small and sad.

I felt bad for her, the little girl with dirty hair in her yellow tank top. I place an arm around her shoulder and pull her into a side hug. "Yeah… I do." She doesn't squirm, and after a moment she wraps her arms around me and hugs me full on. We stand there for a little bit, not moving.

"I hope he's alright." She says.

"Yeah," I reply, "me too."

"Ms. Enomoto?" A voice calls from the top of the stairs. Our hug is cut short and I look up to see the blocky figure of Kane standing, looking down at us. Emi hops back, but I pay it no mind.

"Yes? May I help you?" I feel my eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"The head nurse asked me to go after you, he said he'd needed to talk to you." He replied. "Would you mind coming back up?

I realized then what had bothered me at first. The way he addressed Nurse, as if it was just a title instead of who he was. "Why wouldn't he have asked me during the class?" I say warily.

"He slapped his head after you all left and sent me after you." He spoke formally with a bow.

"That man…" Emi says. I look to see leaning against the stairwell wall. "Don't be long, I'm hungry."

"A-are we hanging out tonight?" I ask in a very fine and confident way that in no way was a stammer.

Emi looked caught off guard. "Oh, uh, I kinda thought… Sorry, are you busy?"

"No! No, no I'm totally free. To hanging out." I reply.

"Oh. Well then, yeah. Let's hang out. We can talk about how dumb our instructors are." She says, shooting a side long look up at Kane.

I laugh, feeling light and breezy, and turn to head up the stairs to follow Kane to speak with Nurse.

The walk is short, with Kane walking along side me. I feel a little tense about it, he's just so… different than anyone I'd ever met. He's far too tall, his hair is too short, his speech is formal but his body language isn't.

He opens the door to the room for me, and slightly inclines his head. I walk in to see Nurse sitting at the front desk. He looks up and winks, and the door closes behind me. My head turns to see that Kane did not follow me in.

"Good afternoon Ms. Enomoto." Nurse says.

"Am I in some sort of trouble?" I ask feeling very wary.

Nurse chuckles politely in a way I can tell is meant to make me feel more at ease. "Why, do anything lately worth getting in trouble for?" He winks again, and pulls a file from a dresser drawer. "I'm glad you were able to be invited to class." He comments. "Did Emi give you a hard time?"

"I had to apologize for calling her stupid." I say.

It draws the surprised reaction I want, but he quickly follows it up placing his hand over his chest. "She won't let me put her height without wearing prosthetics on her medical reports, but you get away with calling her stupid?"

He's good at word play, and his mocking makes the tension I've been feeling finally loosen. "Does she really?" I ask.

He winks and raises a finger to his mouth in way of reply, but then his expression changes to a more business like manner. "I've been meaning to ask you a few things."

"Oh?" I ask.

"For starters, how is your father settling? Has he found a new position yet?"

Business indeed, then. "Last mother told me, he's been accepted at the nearby hospital. She's hinted that he intends to become my primary care physician once more."

Nurse nods his head. "The school has received paperwork from the hospital noting his request. Of course, Yamaku's policy is that the schools staff is to remain your primary care, at least until you graduate. Remind me, how long have you been here?"

"Around a year and a half." I reply. "Last Winter is when I was diagnosed with spinocerebellar ataxia. I began classes here shortly after."

"By your father." The nurse stated.

"Yes, he was my doctor since I was a child. He did a blood test, some genetic research, since he noticed how clumsy I can be." I held up my cane, putting it on the desk. "He got me this not long after, he says I'll be finding it harder to move around as I get older. He had it custom made for me, he said."

Nurse nodded his head.

"Do you know why your father had to change positions?" He asked.

"This sounds like you meant to have this conversation with him…" I pause. "He said he wanted to be closer to me, and said that he was working very hard to try and develop new treatments."

Nurse nodded his head. "He wants to look after his daughter, that's very respectable. My last question is, how are you?"

I cock an eyebrow at him. "I'm… fine?"

He grins, raising a hand to his head. "I shoulda been more specific. I mean how are you physically? Did Emi make you go running with her?"

My head rocks to the side as I picture Emi's running face. "Oh. Yeah, no real change since last time we spoke about it a few months ago. I mean, I still drop things sometimes, and running today I nearly tripped over my own darn two feet. You know, you didn't mention the competitive edge she has."

Nurse laughs from his belly. "She put you through the ringer, eh? Given that you're in self-defense classes together, I'd figured you'd know about it." He beams.

"How did you know about the classes?" I ask.

"Emi's been going on and on about it to her mom. She really likes that sort of thing, she lives for getting her heart pumping and the exhilaration. I'm sure you must have seen it."

I flashback to that smirk she'd been giving me, that look that she was so much better than me, and I feel a little fire of my own as the satisfaction smolders within me. "Indeed." I blink, coming back to the here and now. "Is there anything else I can assist you with?" I ask.

The nurse laughs. "I don't exactly have you in shackles, you're free to go. Thank you for your time."

I bow to him and leave the room. Kane nods at me as I turn to walk down the hallway, and I ignore him.

"Enomoto!" he calls after me. Briefly I feel the temptation to ignore him, but my grooming wins out and I turn to face the authority figure.

Outstretched in his arms is my cane. "You'd forgotten this." He says, holding it out and bowing his head.

I blink at him. He's so very… foreign, yet he's obviously making an attempt.

"Thank you." I say, taking my cane and turning to head back to the stairwell.

Emi is sitting on the stairs, one of her false legs on her arm like a gauntlet as she jabs forwards. I can't help but giggle. She drops the leg, surprised, and fumbles after it with a "Wah!"

I go down the steps as she's reaching for it, picking it up from the ground. Her face is beat red as I stand up with it, her eyes glancing to the side. She holds out her arm. "Thanks." She mumbles.

"Hold out your leg." I instruct.

"Wha? No way!" She protests, looking horrified.

I fix her with a look, and she bites her lip before sticking her leg out. I bend over and start pulling it into place with the prosthetic, remembering how she'd facened them after the defense course.

Her leg muscles were firm, and tenses to my touch. "This is so weird…" She grumbled. "Ah, not so tight. Here, lemme."

She reached down and her hands found mine. After a moment, she guided them to the locking mechanisms, and I locked the leg into place.

We looked up into one another's eyes then, and I felt my cheeks touch with heat as I looked into her emerald green eyes. Her dirty shoulder length hair fell over both of her shoulders as she'd leaned forwards to help me, but on Emi it looked so… charming. We couldn't be more than a few inches apart. I could just lean in and-

"Come on!" She says, suddenly rising and obviously flustered. "I'm starving, where do you want to go for dinner?" She grips my arm and pulls me up with her, and I have to steady myself from stumbling as she hurries down the final few stairs and towards the building's exit.


	18. Chapter 18: Crippling curiosity

**Chapter 18: Crippling curiosity**

"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think we were cursed." Hisao grumbles, the heavy rain against the windows perfectly framing his chagrin. It'd be poetic if it wasn't so sad.

"Perhaps there is some truth to that. I'd hoped that we would be able to use the track today and maybe go down to the beach." I say, trying to keep the patient smile on my face.

"Oof," Hisao says, and I hear a thump as he pats his chest, "don't run the imagery of you in a bathing suit through my head, I'm not sure I could stand it."

The patient grin tugs into a teasing one as I place one hand on my hip and the other to my cheek. "It's a bikini too, the sunlight feels so good on my body."

Hisao's hands wrap around me and pull me towards him with a gasp of surprise at his strong grip and our mouths meet. The moment stretches out as we melt into one another, and then it ends far too soon as he gently pushes my hips away.

"I need to take my meds. Then could we go for a walk around the house?"

I nod to him, hiding my disappointment at the ended kiss. I wish to do more with him… perhaps more to him, but we've seldom had the opportunity and after a long day yesterday we'd simply fallen asleep cuddling one another, holding tight to what seems to be the only reason that we're here.

I listen as Hisao goes about taking his medication, drinking every couple of seconds from a large glass of water I'd instructed Arthur to bring us the previous night. "You know," he says with a mouth full of water. He swallows. "You don't have to look so worried. I'm used to the pills."

I hadn't even realized that I had been, but now that he points it out I realize how uncomfortable I'd felt listening to just how much daily preparation he needed for his heart. I nod my head once, feeling a bit resolved that what we were doing was indeed the right thing.

"Will we be doing laps throughout the house, or will one walk around suit your needs?" I ask.

"Ehh, I'd like to do it a few times to be honest. Can't be too careful, and it's early after all."

I shake my head. "If you will, then so will I. I could do with memorizing the house so I may be able to navigate it normally."

He agrees, before taking my hand in his. I step closer, taking his arm, and the two of us leave the room.

More and more I'm lamenting my decision to return home to my family. Of course, Akira is here, but so much has been happening that I could count the times where we've been together on one finger, and honestly I simply don't believe there's a way around how things are. Hisao is here. Hisao needs my help. And if he'd never have come… It's a life I don't ever want to imagine.

"So," Hisao says, "work."

I nod my head as the two of us round the corner at the end of the hall. "Yes?"

"If all I have to do is sort folders again today, I'll lose my mind."

I squeeze his arm as a reply. "I still don't understand the purpose of simply sorting the folders by color. I can understand that the folders may contain profits and figures, as well as trials and such, but I have to wonder what she meant by local issues."

I feel Hisao shrug his shoulders. "The green ones, there's a ton of those, are filled with numbers that are sort of like bills. I've seen into a few yellow, though there's a lot less of those. The words in them seem much more complicated, so I figure they're medical and might be the trials she talked about yesterday."

We turn to the side to move around the pillar in the middle of the hall, and I hear some noises from the security office nearby. I try to imprint the location into my memory while keeping up the conversation. "Yes, I can understand that, but then that leaves the red folders. Do you think perhaps these are the issues she was talking about?" I ask.

Hisao pauses for a moment. "No, I don't think so. I only saw into one of them briefly, and it sort of looked like a profile of a person."

"Oh my, how do you mean?" My brow furrows.

We come to the stairs that head down to the first floor, and Hisao elects to follow them down. "Like it had her name and a picture of her, a Japanese woman with twin tailed hair." He explains. "Emi Ibarazaki wears her hair like that, but this girl had more and it was darker."

I tilt my head in thought. "So you think they're employee profiles then?"

"Maybe." he sounds unconvinced. "But then what would these have to do with the other reports of billings and testings?"

We walk down the long hallway towards my family's sitting room, his question unanswered. The television is loud enough that I could hear it by the stairs, and it only increases in volume until we turn to enter the loud room. Dramatical music played over what sounded like a vase braking.

As we enter the room, the sound stops with an odd popping sound. "[Oh, good morning my dears.]" Says the soft voice of my Mother. She speaks English in a fine a learned way, her accent making her speech light and yet it dripped with flavor.

"[Good morning, Mother.]" I reply. She must have hit the pause button, as all I can hear from the television is the high whine of the speakers.

"[Good morning, Mrs. Satou.]" A beam of pride fills me as Hisao bows to my mother, his pronunciation perfect.

"[Will the two of you be joining me?]" She asked. I can hear her patting the couch. I try to remember what material it was from my last visit. "[I'm watching one of my stories right now. I can explain it to you, if you'd like.]"

I smile at her graciously, and try covering the disapproval in my voice. "[No, but thank you. Have you been up long? I'd have thought you'd be watching the News.]"

Mother lets out an un-lady like noise as she scoffs harshly. "[News. Nothing that anybody reports anymore is truth. I sometimes wonder if things would be different had I not retired. If I'd continued on. Surely I'd be making a rather large effect."] She speaks in a wondering tone.

My brain cycles, trying to think of a reply. "[But then you wouldn't have met Father.]"

Mother laughs harshly. "[No, we'd met when I was still a reporter. I left afterwards, but sometimes I wonder how things would have played out.]" I can't think of anything to say, so I stay put. Hisao doesn't tug away, but I can feel the discomfort in the room increasing. "[But what am I saying,]" Mother goes on, "[Without having let I'd have missed out on my darling children.]" The couch squeaks as she stands from it, reaffirming it as leather in my mind. I hear the clicking of heels on the hard wood floor of the sitting room as she walks over. I reach down to take Hisao's hand, and find it's oddly a little bit sweaty.

'She's intimidating him.' I thought to myself.

Mother's hand abruptly is on my cheek, and I jump a bit in fright as she brushes her hand over it. Her finger nearly pokes me in the eye, but instead just pushes against my cheekbone. "[My beautiful darling child. Almost a woman, now."] She says.

"[Mother, I'm 18…]" I say, my face feeling flushed. "[I am fully grown.]"

"[Not yet, child.]" She whispers encouragingly. "[You're lucky though, having such a young strapping man as Hisao here.]" Her hand moves from my cheek and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding until then. And then I realized that the only reason she'd have stopped touching me. "[You have the eyes of a dreamer, young man. They're filled with thought, I see. Though you're far too tense. Would you like for me to give you a massage?]" Her tone sounds like a cat purring, and Hisao's hand tightens on mine.

"[Mother,"] I interject, "[that is quite enough. Hisao and I will be getting breakfast in the kitchen. Good morning.]"

Without giving her a chance to respond, I tug on Hisao's arm so hard he makes a gasp of pain before following along quickly behind me. I hear Mother giggling to herself. "[Au revoir.]" She calls after us. My cheeks burn hotter, and before long I can hear the television start up again. I close my eyes, trying to picture the makeup of the house. It helps me calm down a bit, and we pass by the dining room and down towards the kitchen.

I can hear the sounds of cooking from the other side.

"Jesus," Hisao whispers under his breath. "I didn't know they made night gowns that short…"

I stop suddenly, feeling for a moment very faint. "Pardon?!" I say loudly, blinking rapidly towards him.

Hisao stammers. "S-she's wearing some sort of silk night gown that… well, it doesn't leave a lot to the imagination."

I swallow. "You… you can't be serious. She can't be wearing something like that in so public a place."

"Lilly," he pauses, "it's a red and black night gown. I think. When she stood up, it came up to just beneath her hips. I swear it."

"What in Heaven's name is wrong with her?" I ask. I stop after a moment, my hand grasping out for his. He took it. "You have my deepest apologies. I'm so very embarrassed you had to see that. Goodness how scandalous."

The door to the kitchen opens and a flurry of sound overtakes us as the loud noises of cooking floods out into the hall. It sounds as if a horde of chefs were inside the kitchen. The one who opens the door, I recognize her voice as the servant that helped me with Hisao and Akira's lunches, shouts back into the room "[Johnny if ya burn me potatoes I'll have your skull as a beer mug! Oh,]" she says with surprise. "[Hello Lady and Sir.]"

The woman's Irish accent vanishes as she addresses us. "[I was just taking the Mrs. her pre-party breakfast. Would you like something?]"

"That's a breakfast? It's so small…" Hisao says

"[Uh, my mother's apparently not really suited for people to be visiting her.]" I say, still feeling flushed.

"[Ahh, the lady is wearing her pre-party Camisole. She has a ritual, and she won't get dressed fully until precisely an hour and a half before the party's starting time.]" Says the servant. "[I really must go, she'll be cranky if she doesn't eat anything soon. Go on in and someone can fix you whatever you like.]"

The women hurried off then, leaving us to stand in the hall outside the bustling kitchen. "Your mom's weird." Hisao says.

I force a little smile, but I can tell it doesn't reach the rest of me. "So it appears. Shall we? I could use a nice breakfast."

The two of us entered the kitchen… only to immediately be turned away to the dining room, a servant insisting he'd make and deliver us the food. I'd intended on cooking our meals myself, but I suppose it couldn't be helped given the current situation of the kitchen. Not long after we sat down do the scent of fried bacon and cooked eggs catch my sense, and a servant enters with two plates of the dish as well as some hash browns. The servant leaves and I wait for Hisao to take the first bite… only the sound of eating doesn't come.

"Is everything alright?" I ask.

"Well…" he didn't go on for a moment, I let him gather his thoughts. "I guess? I dunno, I'm wondering what this party is. And… honestly, I'd been sorta hoping for some rice and fish for breakfast. I've never had this before… I don't know. That sounds so ungrateful." He chides himself.

I bite my lower lip in thought. "We haven't had a normal breakfast in quite some time, have we?" I ask.

He reaches out his hand and squeezes my fingers. "Don't worry about it, this'll be fine."

He lets go of my hand and I hear the crunch of bacon being eaten. "I could really go with a bowl of Miso soup right now." I say.

He chuckles. "Me too."

And then the two of us ate breakfast in silence.

Once we finished our meal we returned upstairs to our room. On the way back, Hisao told me more about the red folder's he'd seen.

"Each of them had a word on them, in English." He was telling me. "[Con-Conf-fid]" He growls, I can't remember it.

"[Confidential?]" I ask.

He snap his fingers. "Yeah. Yeah! That was it!" He excitedly says. "[Confidental]"

I giggle at him, squeezing his arm. "Close enough."

"What does it mean?" He asked.

"Well, given Akira's reactions and how few they all seem, what do you think it means?" I ask.

He pokes my side, making me jump with a laugh. "Sure sure, Ms. Teacher." He says with a hearty laugh. "Secret?"

"That's correct." I reply. "A gold star for the bright young man." I turn and kiss him on the cheek.

He laughs, but I can tell he's blushing. It makes me so very happy.

After breakfast, Lilly and I separate so that I can join Akira at 'the office.' Luckily I managed to keep from spilling breakfast all over my clothes, so I felt I looked presentable enough to be executive color coordinator, and headed inside.

As with the first day, I had to walk through Akira's room to reach the working area. The room had another pair of pants and tie added to its floor, but not much else had changed since I'd last been in here. I went through to find Akira sitting at her desk, drinking from a clear mug that had been filled with something that looked straight out of a biohazard container. The smell hit me a moment later, and I felt bile in my throat.

I coughed. "What the heck * _Cough Cough*_ Akira what is that?"

Akira stared at me with heavy lidded eyes. "Quiet. I'm hung over. This is a tonic that'll fix that."

I wave my hand in front of my face. "At the cost of drinking acid? I'll take the hang over."

Akira smiled at me dangerously. "Keep it up, and I'll make you drink this without the hang over."

I raise my hands without raising my mouth, an act that my brain congratulates me for, and I walk over to the spot I'd sat yesterday and silently, with a silent groan, flop to the floor and begin sorting folders.

I try to make a game out of it, seeing how many greens I can grab with one hand to unload and then reload. The game sucks, and I'm getting border by the second. More bored? Border. "Bored border boreds."

"Hmmm?" Akira questions.

"Nothing." I grumble.

It isn't long before I begin to feel myself beginning to blink tiredly. As I'm sorting my eighth box though, I realize that I just broke my record for the most green folders in one scoop. The brief excitement causes me to realize I was sorting a box of already sorted files.

I curse to myself under my breath.

A few minutes later, the terrible odor has begun to fade, and Akira stands up. "Need food. Be right back."

She gets up from her desk and walks out of the room, closing the door behind her. I hear the room to her bedroom close on the other side, sigh, and let myself fall onto my back spread eagle.

"What the hell am I doing here?" I ask.

I lay like that for a few minutes before grunting as I sit up. I open up one of the green folders and began leafing through the paperwork. It was sales, alright. I could only recognize some of the words, but you didn't need to understand the words to get the formulas. Money is generally an easy concept, and given that I'd been studying to go to college and become a science teacher….

"Fuuuuck," I groan, hating life.

I get up from my seat and stretch my back and neck. I can't stand this stupid feeling of being cooped up. Why do they have so many damn folders, it's like they shut the entire district down! Maybe that's what they did, maybe that's why Akira had to come.

I bend over and pick up a yellow folder. It's all gibberish, but I get the idea. 'Doctor so and so from Angelo Pharmaceuticals in Okinawa reports blah blah blah blah blaaaaahhh.' I roll my neck again.

And slowly, out of the corner of my eye, I see red and I feel my body freeze. I let my eyes gaze to Akira's desk, falling on the stack of red folders.

'This is so stupid,' I think to myself as I walk over to the desk. 'What the hell are you even doing? It's paperwork, just more paperwork is all it is.'

She'd had one out when she'd left, apparently taking notes or categorizing it. Maybe she wouldn't get mad if I'd… helped. Just a little. Already I'm thinking of excuses, but the close I get to the stack the more uncomfortable I start to feel. Something is wrong, this is dishonest of me.

My fingers do not heed my mind and continued dipping to the stack when I heard noises on the other side of the door. My brow furrowed, and I rapidly withdrew my hand. I realized then that my pulse had at one point decided to start hammering away, and place a worried hand over my chest.

 **Lub-dub. Lub-dub.**

The heartbeat is steady, and relief floods through me. Until I find my vision straying back towards the pile, almost desperate to see.

'Another time,' I decide. I could hear something plainly from the other side, but I couldn't make out the sound.

I went to the door to see what was making the noise. I opened the door quietly, turning the knob and peaking though the crack.

I'd nearly earned a knock on the head for my troubles. I had to leap back to avoid Lilly's fist as it descended on the spot where my face had been mere moments before.

"Lilly!" I shouted in surprise and relief.

She jumped, the tray she carried with her shaking slightly as she did. "My, Hisao, you frightened me." She said, placing her free hand to her chest.

"I'm sorry, I thought I heard a noise. Come in, here let me help you with that." I exited the office, going to her with a longing look back at the red folders. Temptation fights within me, the unsettling feeling that they'd begun to give off shaking me deeply.

I took the tray from her and glanced down at its contents. My heart skipped a beat.

"You didn't." I simply said.

Lilly's pleasant smile showed teeth, and she placed both her hands to her chest. "The staff was very helpful with my desires, but I wanted to cook it myself. And this time, I brought a lid."

She giggled as I picked up the lidded container of miso soup that sat between the two bowls "Oh Lilly, this is wonderful." I say, feeling gratitude swelling up inside of me.

Lilly lowered her hands in front of her and swayed her hips happily.

"I love you." I said. She opens her eyes and stares at me in the way only she could.

"I love you too." She replies

"God you two make me sick," Akira says, entering the open door of her bed room. She carries a sandwich in one hand and a partial loaf of brown pretzel bread in the other.

The three of us sit down to eat again, and after that Akira dismisses us, sitting down at her desk and picking up the red folder she'd had out.

The one that I nearly had looked into.

"You're free for the night, per mother's special request. She wishes tonight's special guests," her voice takes on a high pitched mocking tone that is the ugly imitation of her mother's low sultry voice, "'to be wearing matching colors, to be freshly clean, and for god's sake somebody get that man a comb.'" Akira produced a comb out of her pocket, offering it to me. "Go on, get ready. The party is in two hours."

I reach forwards, and feel my eyes straining to look to the folder, but I don't dare do it with Akira so near.

"What do you mean special guests?" I ask.

"Duh," Akira says, "this party is about the two of you."

"Isn't white supposed to be exclusively for weddings?" Lilly asked, pouting as she ran her fingers over her sparkling dress. She stands in her underwear in our room, both of us freshly showered as we get dressed for the upcoming party, and holds a dress that had apparently been chosen specifically for her by her mother. I, on the other hand, am gripping long bowtie as I look worriedly at my own set of clothing.

"I don't really know…" I reply honestly. "Most of the times I've been dressed up have been for school or festivals. I have no idea how to wear a tuxedo…"

"From what Akira has told me, the tuxedo is supposed to wear you." She replies.

"I hope that's true. Then all the other tuxedos can make fun of its silly looking human instead of the others making fun of my silly looking tux."

"You are not silly looking." Lilly chastised with a smile.

I made a face at her with a childish noise to emphasize.

"I hope yours will fit. I fear they may have gotten my measurements wrong…" Lilly pulls the dress over her head, the white fabric clinging to her every curve and ending at mere inches below her hips, her long porcelain legs for all the world to see. She bit her lip, her fingers running over her spaghetti straps and down to her chest looked like it was straining the fabric to show her cleavage. "This doesn't fit at all, does it?" she asked.

"Not… really." I admitted.

"Despite what mother seems to think, I am a bit larger than Akira in some areas. Goodness, I can't wear this." She seems to think for a moment. "Well, I can't wear this in front of everyone else. What do you think?"

She places her hands behind her back awaiting my comment, which causes my eyes to be drawn very much to her breasts.

I close my eyes. "Ahh, hey no fair."

Lilly giggles and sways before her face turns thoughtful. "How far along are you?" She asks.

"Well, I've figured out the pants go on my legs."

"An accurate a first step as anyone could hope for." She replies and claps her hands. "Right."

With a fluid and harsh motion, Lilly places either hand beneath the straps on her dress, and snaps them. The tight straps go flying over her shoulders and out of sight.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Improvising." She says simply. She grabs the dress near her breasts and tugs it upwards, hiding her cleavage beneath the glimmering dress at the expense of revealing the bottom of her butt. She notices this, grabbing it. "You're watching me, aren't you?" She asks teasingly.

"I am not." I lied.

"I heard your breath catch and you haven't moved in almost a full minute." She grins a tooth filled smile at me.

"Stupid wonder senses." I mumble, turning back to my own clothing and pulling the pants on. Lilly laughs merrily, her voice as light as wind chimes as she saunters to the closet at the end of the room.

I pull the dress shirt on and begin buttoning it shut, my eyes returning to her as she opens a drawer and begins running fingers over clothes. "You're bending over on purpose!" I call.

Her humming increases in tune as she ignores my callout, though she begins waggling her hips and I feel myself bite my cheek as I can't look away. After a moment she stands up with two black garments. One looks to be a lacy skirt, and the other looks sort of like a sweater that would only cover half her torso.

"Covering up so soon?" I ask.

"Would you rather I go about showing myself to everyone?" She shot back.

"Hmmm, nah. I like being the only one that's ever seen you like this."

Lilly hums amusedly in lieu of reply. "You're mine, and I am yours. Nobody else deserves what we give one another." She says as she fastens the skirt over her waist. It flows to beneath her knees, and she skates her fingers around herself again before letting out a short gasp of surprise. "Oh, Hisao, do you know where my cross is?" She asks.

I fasten the pants over my tucked in shirt and scoop it off from the dresser. Lilly smiles before turning, holding up her hair so I can get behind her and fasten the cross around her neck. She melts backwards into me, and I find myself lightly kissing her neck.

A knock on the door interrupts us and Lilly moans in disapproval. "One of these days, you're not going to be able to escape me." She whispers as she heads for the door, face filled with mischief.

"Who is it?" She calls.

"Alfred, miss." Calls the voice on the other side of the door.

She opens the door and Alfred stands before her, bowing his head.

"Is there something you need?" She asks the young man pointedly.

"I was sent to help the two of you be ready. I see you've decided not to wear your mother's chosen garment." He responds evenly, looking her over.

"I'm wearing it, though in a much more reasonable styling." Lilly spoke back, her voice slightly heated.

Alfred bowed his head before looking to me. "Your shirt needs to be re-buttoned. May I?" He asks.

"Uh… sure…" I say, uncomfortably. I don't know how to do this, and to be honest I'm a bit relieved that he's here or else I'd have to ask Lilly if she even knew what a bowtie looked like.

Alfred steps past Lilly and approaches me. "Unclasp your pants." He instructs.

I feel a twinge of heat rush to my face but I do so. Alfred then unbuttons my shirt, his hands moving in calm and practiced manner of the man who's had to do this same task before, and then buttons them back in from the bottom up. I raise my arms to the side as he tucks in my pants, and then I clasp them shut.

"Hand me your tie."

I do so, and he wraps it around the back of my neck and begins tying the front.

And then something happens, something I hadn't realized I'd not done since I'd come to the Satou estate.

Alfred and I met one another's eyes. I felt time slow around me. Frost crept up my spine, and my jaw slackened.

I could not tear my gaze away as the suddenly tall, blonde young man held me under a blood red gaze.

"Is it too tight?" He asked pointedly.

I blinked at him. "W-what?"

"You look as if you are having difficulty breathing." His crimson eyes studies me, and intelligence seemed to spark behind very twitch.

"S-sorry." I manage. I blink again, and cough. "Sorry, no, no it's fine."

Alfred looked at me. Not in the way you glance as a stranger on the street or at school, he really looked at me. An intimate moment of questioning, and I closed my hands to steady them as I realized how much stronger than me he suddenly seemed.

"I'm okay, really." I held up a hand, and walked past him to Lilly, whose face was filled with obvious questioning and concern.

"Come on, we should see if your mom wants anything else from us." I say taking her arm and pulling her into step behind me as we hurry out of the room and towards the hall. A last second thought and I twist to grab my phone and wallet off of the side table. My eyes turned back and I could see Arthur's jaw set as his expression darkened upon me.


End file.
